Intelligent, but disoriented, young man Andrea undertakes the novitiate, a period of spiritual training leading to priesthood. Within the large religious community of novices, Father Superiors and retired priests, Andrea discovers more than a simple world of semi-silcncc and prayer. The monastery becomes a mysterious universe where every look, every sound, reveals intrigue as the novices ore encouraged to denounce one another's shortcomings. Daily routines, rituals and readings are marked by constant surveillance and questioning, as the novices struggle to lose themselves on behalf of God. Despite strong support from the Father Superior, Andrea flounders on his mystical test of absolute faith. As his frustration for solid answers grows, he risks to abandon the Order like others before him...