Jane Austen's classic novel is the story of Anne Elliot. Engaged eight years previously to a young navel officer, Frederick Wentworth, she allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man she loved wasn't an adequate match, and that she had better prospects. The scene opens some seven years after Anne has refused the love of her life when Frederick Wentworth returns from the sea, in search of a wife.

Nick Dear's critically acclaimed screen play was first screened on BBC2 in April 1995 and was subsequently released worldwide as a feature film.