In 1760s France, Suzanne is a beautiful young girl with a natural talent for music, enjoying a quietly privileged life. Inexplicably sent off to a convent, she resists structure at every turn until she discovers that she is an illegitimate child. Left with no other option, she pronounces her vows and suffers the consequences of her mother's sin. Still uncertain of her path and oppressed by aggressive and inappropriate Mother Superiors, Suzanne continues to resist imposed religious values and the dehumanizing effect of cloistered life. Based on the classic novel by Diderot.