English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens has done something that women of the Victorian age simply never do: The young widow has traveled thousands of miles with her son to a land that is largely unknown to the Western world. She arrives in Siam with adventure in her eyes and a Siamese primer in her hand. Whatever awaits her in this strange new world, there is no turning back. Anna has been employed to educate the king's fifty-eight children. She knows very little of King Mongkut, apart from the fact that his people revere him as a god. She brings with her an 'East vs. West' prejudice against the king, considering him to be uncivilized. She soon realizes that her views are more than matched by the ruler's own preconceptions about the West and particularly this impertinent English woman. But over time, Anna and the King share a growing connection. Anna discovers that Mongkut is a true man of vision who is leading Siam to take its place among the nations of the modern world. And the King recognizes that Anna has shined a light not only on him and his family, but on Siam itself.