Rossellini explores the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel during a concert by the chorus of the Cappella Musicale Pontificia conducted by Monsignor Domenico Bartolucci.
A former resident of the town of Peyton Place, now wealthy and powerful, secretly returns to the town and sets in motion a spate of killings designed as revenge for past wrongs.
Don Diego goes to war and his son Don Gonzalo is, in his absence, the new lord of the region. The milling Elvira, one of the mistresses of Don Diego, has a beautiful daughter, Elena, who has the desire of Don Gonzalo.
Liza, a schoolgirl, meets and falls in love with her classmate's brother, Paul. When she discovers she is pregnant, they each must consider the consequences as outlined by their respective parents.