The French Lieutenant's Woman

England, 1867. Charles Smithson and Ernestina get engaged shortly after meeting, but they plan to marry very soon. One day, while walking along the cliffs, Charles sees a young woman dressed in black on the harbor promenade. Ernestina tells him that she is Sarah Woodruff, known as "The French Lieutenant's Woman," because years earlier she had a love affair with a French officer who later abandoned her. Charles becomes friends with Sarah and, seeing her so helpless, decides to take steps to secure a dignified future for her, out of reach of gossip.