She was born in 1696 to a family of English Puritans, and died a Catholic nun in 1780. In the years between, she lived a life as remarkable as any in Canadian history.

Esther Wheelwright was abducted from her home in Wells, Maine at age seven by Abenakis warriors. A pawn in the struggle between France and England for control of North America, she would eventually convert to Catholicism, enter the convent and achieve extraordinary influence as the first English-born Mother Superior of the Ursulines in Quebec.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 10 p.m. ET , VisionTV presents the world television premiere of Captive: The Story of Esther , a biography of this singular woman as told by one of her present-day descendants: acclaimed documentary filmmaker Penny Wheelwright . (The broadcast repeats on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 11 p.m. ET .)

Penny Wheelwright and her sister Julie (co-writer and associate producer of Captive ) grew up hearing stories about Esther. This hour-long documentary is a meticulously researched account of her life and times, featuring both dramatic re-enactments and interviews with leading Canadian and American historians. The filmmakers were even granted rare permission to shoot inside Quebec City's famous Ursuline Convent.

In August 1703, Esther's settlement was raided by Abenakis – allies of the French in their conflict with the British colonists of New England. She was taken prisoner and forced to walk through dense forest to an Abenakis village 200 kilometres away. There, Esther was adopted into an Abenakis family and made to attend Mass – undoubtedly a shock for a young Puritan child who had been brought up to regard Catholicism as an evil force.

Esther's family tried desperately to secure her release, but war and religious rivalry interfered. Four years passed before a Jesuit missionary successfully negotiated her ransom. In Quebec, she became a boarding student with the Ursulines – a profound experience that would shape the rest of her life. Resisting entreaties from her family to return, Esther chose to join the Ursuline order, becoming Sister Esther-Marie Joseph de l'Enfant-Jesus in 1714.

Esther would spend the rest of her life in the convent – and ultimately played a pivotal role in Canadian history.

With General Montcalm's defeat at the Plains of Abraham in 1759 (he was buried at the convent) and the ouster of the French government, the Ursulines feared becoming a target of British anti-Catholicism. But Esther's indomitable will and considerable charm would ensure otherwise. She emerged as a key adviser to the British authorities – and in so doing helped to guarantee the survival of her adopted faith in Quebec.

Captive: The Story of Esther was produced and directed by Penny Wheelwright for Wheelwright Ink Ltd. in association with VisionTV. Alberta Nokes was the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

Julie Wheelwright is currently writing a biography of Esther, to be published by HarperCollins Canada in 2006.

Captive: The Story of Esther

The Filmmakers

Penny Wheelwright – Producer/Director/Writer

Penny Wheelwright has been making television documentaries in Canada for the last 15 years. After studying at the University of British Columbia and The Australian Film, Television and Radio School, she launched Starry Night Productions in Vancouver, which produced such award-winning films as A Rough Crossing (CTV/VisionTV), Under Wraps (TVOntario/National Film Board of Canada) and Teen Rebel/Teen Mom (CBC Newsworld).

In 1998 she established Toronto-based Wheelwright Ink Limited, producing Hair, There and Everywhere for CBC Newsworld and W Network, along with the Gemini Award-nominated docudrama The Orkney Lad: The Story of Isabel Gunn for CTV and W Network. Most recently, she has collaborated with her sister, Julie Wheelwright, to create the documentaries A Spy's Life: Kitty Harris for History Television and Historia, and Captive: The Story of Esther for VisionTV and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Julie Wheelwright – Associate Producer/Writer

Julie Wheelwright is lead profile writer for Scotland on Sunday , and has contributed feature articles to many other publications, including The BBC History Magazine , The Guardian , The Independent , Marie Claire , The New Statesman , The Sunday Times and The Vancouver Sun . She is also a Lecturer on journalism at City University in London, England.

After completing studies in history at the University of British Columbia and the University of Sussex, she went on to author the books Amazons and Military Maids: Women Who Dressed as Men in Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness and The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage , along with numerous scholarly articles.

She has also served as a consultant, contributor, writer and producer on various documentaries, including the Gemini Award-nominated docudrama The Orkney Lad: The Story of Isabel Gunn .