This production is part of a famous series produced by BBC of all of William Shakespeare's plays. The resulting films, renowned for their loyalty to the text, utilized the best theatrical and television directors and brought highly praised performances from leading contemporary actors. The trickiest sort of play -- a comedy with tragic relief. With her brother condemned to die for the crime of premarital sex, Isabella is torn between her vows to God...

A French courtesan with a passion for life and romance sacrifices her happiness to prove her love for a young man whose family disapproves of their relationship.