Wilda is a 23-year-old nun living in a convent. She feels sexual desire and flagellates herself in response to it. Her mind wanders as she accomplishes her daily tasks because she cannot keep herself under control. She fantasizes about the Virgin and marrying Christ. She’s interested in a new girl, Aoife, who works in the kitchen and has a bright sense of humor, but Wilda stays away. A plague strikes the convent, killing several of its members. Aoife asks Wilda if they should go steal some of the dead Abbess’s food to feed their fellow nuns. The two women have a wonderful, arousing time eating the food. Wilda falls asleep in the Abbess’s bed with Aoife; when she awakens the next morning, Aoife is gone. Wilda is embarrassed at her desire and punishes herself more than ever. She pushes Aoife away and flees to the forest, where she has delusions. The last thing she sees is a figure of a handsome, warm man, beckoning her to step towards the edge of the woods.