简介：This narrative is an authentic account, meticulously crafted from the transcripts of the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Sarah, portrayed by Vanessa Redgrave, along with her two sisters, were unjustly charged with the heinous crime of witchcraft. As fate would have it, while her sisters met their tragic end at the stake, Sarah was sentenced to serve her term in a cramped cell, barely spacious enough to accommodate her modest stature. Her release came with the restoration of her family's reputation, yet the compensation for her sufferings was meager—a paltry sum of three gold sovereigns, representing the currency of the realm at that time.

Abby Williams, the niece of a local preacher, embarked on a perilous path, delving into the arcane practice of fortune-telling and other illicit activities, all under the tutelage of the enslaved Tituba. The contagion spread, and other local girls followed suit, their behavior growing increasingly erratic. Abby and her female companions soon began to brand certain individuals as 'witches' and attributed their ailments to malevolent supernatural forces. The accusations multiplied, leading to the imprisonment of hundreds, despite the skepticism surrounding the veracity of these claims. Among these accused were three sisters—Mary, Rebecca, and Sarah. They languished in jail for an extended period, with Mary and Rebecca ultimately found guilty, despite their protestations of innocence. They were hanged, and due to overcrowding, Sarah was transferred to a farm to await her hearing. She was confined to a chicken coop, isolated and destitute, suffering from illness and loneliness until her family came to her rescue. The frenzy had abated, yet the cunning girls, along with one 'afflicted' mother, had managed to fabricate sufficient 'evidence' to ensure that 19 individuals were hanged for witchcraft and one was crushed to death. Ten years later, the tale was recounted to a court by Sarah, her mission to clear her family's name. The judges, unable to render immediate judgments or award compensation, did, however, symbolically acknowledge the suffering with three sovereigns, one for each life lost.