Francesco, Graham Faulkner, the spoiled son of wealthy textile merchant Pietro Bernardone Lee Montague, returns from fighting in the war between Assisi and Perugia, only to be forced into a long recovery that rekindles visions of his once-boisterous youth. As his body mends, he experiences a profound interior shift, discovering a path rooted in poverty, chastity, and obedience, and he begins to feel a renewal that is both physical and spiritual. This awakening unsettles the family’s comfortable status quo and fills Francesco with revulsion at his father’s fixation on gold, setting the stage for a fierce clash between father and son.
During his convalescence, Francesco is drawn toward the beauty and quiet of nature—flowers, trees, animals, and poetry—traits that feel in sharp contrast to the life he grew up in. One pivotal moment occurs when, after rejecting his father’s offer to take over the business, he leads the workers out of the dye house to enjoy daylight. He also vaults the textile stock out the window for the poor gathered below, inviting his father to share in the act. Pietro responds with violence, beating Francesco and dragging him to the bishop’s palace to humiliate him. In a dramatic turn of self-denial, Francesco renounces all worldly possessions and the Bernardone name, strips naked, and leaves Assisi to pursue a life of simple devotion among nature as a man of God.
Ahead of him lies the ruins of the chapel of San Damiano, where a divine voice commands him to “restore my church.” Believing the call refers to San Damiano, Francesco begins to beg for stones to rebuild the chapel, and some of his friends join him. He gradually earns a following among the sons of the wealthy, who begin to minister among the poor. The bishop supports this vocation, permitting the work because it is framed as mercy and renewal rather than rebellion. Francesco’s friend Bernardo [Leigh Lawson] joins him after returning from the Fourth Crusade, further strengthening the growing band.
Klara von Assisi [Judi Bowker], a young woman from a noble family, also joins, devoting herself to serving lepers living near the town and choosing to live among the brothers. Yet the town’s nobility and prosperous merchants rise in protest, uneasy about the potential corruption of the youth, and they demand Paolo [Peter Firth] stop the rising “minor brothers.” The tension erupts when a rebuilt church is set alight and one of Francesco’s followers is killed. Francesco blamess himself for the tragedy but cannot fully fathom what went wrong, and he resolves to seek guidance beyond his homeland.
His journey leads him to Rome, where he encounters a Papal court marked by wealth and power. Before Pope Innocent III [Alec Guinness], Francesco abandons Paolo’s carefully prepared script and speaks from his heart, invoking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to expose the gulf between Christ’s teachings and Rome’s opulence. The cardinals, bishops, and abbots feel insulted, and Francesco and his companions are expelled. Paolo, moved by Francesco’s sincerity, decides to join them, while Francesco tries to shield him, insisting he is not one of them.
In a moment that shocks the court, the Pope—seemingly waking from a dream—orders Francesco and his friends to be brought back. He acknowledges the tension between original innocence and original sin, confessing that the church's centuries of wealth have overshadowed its mission. He praises Francesco’s poverty and humility, saying he hopes the order will flourish like the palm. Then, in a surprising act of reverence, the Pope kneels, kisses Francesco’s feet, and blesses him, his companions, and the fledgling friars. A cardinal remarks, quietly doubting if this moment signals a lasting change, and wonders aloud what it truly means for the church.
The film closes with Francesco walking alone into the countryside as the title song, Brother Sun and Sister Moon, swells, leaving a lingering sense of spiritual possibility and personal conviction that began in a basement dye house and culminated in a sacred benediction from the Pope. In the end, the story remains a portrait of a man who chose a life of renunciation, a community formed from love and service, and a faith tested by power, wealth, and the pull of the world.
