Charles Smithson, a respectable engaged man, meets Sarah Woodruff as she stands on the Cobb at Lyme Regis, staring out to sea. Charles falls in love, but Sarah is a digraced woman, and their romance will defy all the stifling conventions of the Victorian age.







Meryl Streep received her third Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Sarah in the 1981 film, which was adapted for the screen by Harold Pinter.