1. Xerxes misses his queen (1-4)

The king began to miss Queen Vashti. But she couldn't be un-deposed. So Xerxes' advisors suggested a search be made of the whole empire to find the most beautiful woman in the empire to take Vashti's place.

2. Queen Esther and Mordecai (5-23)

Mordecai was a Jew who had remained in Persia after the exile ended. He had raised an orphaned cousin named Hadassah (Esther). She, along with many other women, was taken to the palace under the care of Hegai. There, she received beauty treatments and the favor of Hegai, who put her in the best place in the harem. When Esther went to the king, he was more impressed with her than with any of the other women. So she became queen in place of Vashti. Later, Mordecai discovered a plot to assassinate King Xerxes. He reported it to Queen Esther, who told it to the king. The co-conspirators were executed.