In the woods near Jefferson, Texas, Bessie Moore guards her body. She is staying earthbound until her murder is avenged. When Bessie’s body is discovered, curious townspeople parade through a makeshift morgue to see the young woman. She had attracted a great deal of attention during her brief stay in Jefferson because of her beauty, and the gemstones that earned her the sobriquet “Diamond Bessie.”
One year earlier, Bessie left her Chicago brothel to winter in New Orleans and stopped at Hot Springs, Arkansas along the way. There she met a charming but brash young man from Cincinnati, Ohio. Abe was the son of a wealthy jeweler with a famous last name: Rothschild. He also liked to gamble.
At twenty-four-years old, Bessie had already been a prostitute for several years and knew her days were numbered. Bessie is blinded by her desire to become a respectable woman and ignores Abe’s true nature. She and Abe marry on their way to Texas where Abe has business to conduct, and he reveals his plan. Bessie refuses to go along and threatens to tell his father, whom she has never met.
At her autopsy, Bessie wraps her spirit around the man she believes will bring her murderer to justice. She forges an unlikely friendship with the man’s late wife, and they support each other through the pain of remaining earthbound.
Unfortunately, the path to bring Abe to justice is fraught with delays created by a dream team of defense attorneys hired by Abe’s wealthy father. Based on a true story, The Lives of Diamond Bessie explores how our past guides the present and the choices we make throughout our lives.
