In the 1990s, in a North African village, eight French Cistercian monks strictly adhered to the Christian creed, sang poems, worshipped, saved lives and healed the wounded in the monastery, and lived in harmony with the local Muslim villagers. However, a terrorist attack broke the tranquility. On the construction site, foreign workers were slaughtered, and the Cistercian Order began to be suspected and resented by the villagers. At this time, the government army decided to strengthen the protection of the monastery, but the monks led by Christine (Lambert Wilson) finally rejected the army's request. On Christmas Eve, a group of fundamentalists visited late at night and claimed responsibility for the massacre. At the door of the church, Christian monks and Islamic disciples had a doctrinal hand-to-hand battle. The monks defended their dignity with courage and doctrine and retreated unscathed. However, the government army then arrived and not only captured the terrorists alive, but also executed the leader with a despicable death penalty. They suspected that the monks had an affair with the terrorists, so they pointed their spearheads at the church... This film won the Jury Prize at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.