By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo (Enea Sala), their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo's parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back.

Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras' struggle quickly takes a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power. This is how ingenious, artistic filmmakers tell stories that must be heard. Through vibrant characters that relive history and uncover its darkest secrets.