In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, a poor young peasant girl, claims that she has had visions of a "Beautiful Lady" in a grotto near her home town of Lourdes and proceeds to follow her instructions to dig a spring nearby. The water turns out to have healing powers. The news spreads rapidly throughout France, causing all sorts of reactions, from the skepticism of the town doctor to the reluctant support of her mother and the Dean of Lourdes.