In her role as handmaid June, Elisabeth Moss's range and grasp on the importance of nuance is masterful. Under Gilead law, these 'fallen women' are forced to bear children for powerful men and their wives.Īlthough the subject matter is timely, it's the production details that elevate this story beyond a mere exploration of trauma. Under the new regime, women have lost all rights, and many are enslaved under Biblical law. After a devastating series of terrorist attacks against the United States government, a powerful group of religious extremists launches a civil war and takes over much of the country, renaming it Gilead. Sometime in the near future, the impact of environmental destruction causes global fertility rates to drop off a cliff.