The famous dream of Saint Jerome is enacted at the start of the film. Standing before a Universal Court, Jerome, a lover of literature and of the classics, must come to a decision: either to convert himself to Christianity, become a devoted and exclusive reader of the Holy Scriptures, or remain a follower of the philosophy of Cicero.

     Cicero or Christ? Doubt and faith duel together in his dream. In the company of other fathers, Jerome inhabits the desert, in a harsh environment, of contrition. He meets Gregory who initiates him in the task of collecting, copying, and translating the Holy Scriptures. His endeavors will take him to Rome where he becomes secretary and consultant on Biblical matters to Pope Damasus. In the company of the Pope, Jerome refines his spirit, perfects his knowledge, with access to rare publications.

     At the death of Damasus, Jerome returns to the desert and sets himself a monumental task: to live in penance and to elaborate the Latin Bible, the Vulgate, from whence all translations of the Scriptures in Romance languages were to originate - the main source of influence in western literature.