Baudet's destiny is foreshadowed by a mysterious old woman in black, who predicts he will accomplish great things in his life.

Leaving his village of Vordan in 1673, he plans to forge a new life in Marseilles. Finding lodging in a tavern, he makes fast friends with Father Philippe of the church in the poor quarter of Panier. Unwittingly, he is drawn to the Abbey Saint Victor across the harbor, where his future is to be with the Benedictine Order of monks.

Temptations both criminal and sexual challenge Baudet along his path, and he soon finds himself clashing with the obnoxious and delinquent Prior Delbert. Can his unpromising beginning lead him to an extraordinary destiny?