Hadassah a beautiful Jewish girl, lives with her cousin Mordechai in Shushan, the capital of Persia. After King Achashverosh deposes Vashti for her refusal to obey his decree, he is advised to choose a new queen. Guards then search his entire kingdom for worthy candidates, taking them from their homes by force and removing them to the palace. Mordechai attempts to hide Hadassah but she is captured by the guards. For her protection and at the insistence of her cousin Mordechai, Hadassah changes her name to Esther, meaning "hidden". Esther and the rest of the young women are taken to the first harem, where they are placed under the custody of Haggai, a royal eunuch and chief caretaker of the harem.