Set against the lush backdrop of 1830s Jamaica, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea offers a powerful and haunting tale inspired by the first Mrs. Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.” Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty. However, their marriage soon faces challenges as rumors of madness in her family poison his mind against her. He forces Antoinette to conform to his rigid Victorian ideals, unaware that he is pushing her towards madness and a terrible conclusion amidst the leaping flames at Thornfield Hall.