Cabrini

In 1889, Paolo pushes his dying mother through New York City in a cart and pleads for help at a hospital, but the staff speak only Italian and dismiss him. An older boy named Enzo offers Paolo a place of refuge, guiding him to a grim shelter in the sewers. This brutal beginning foreshadows the harsh immigrant world Paolo will navigate.

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini travels with her calling to found a missionary order. After a rejected proposal by a cardinal, Pope Leo XIII grants her permission, though he suggests she start in New York because the world is large. The moment solidifies her resolve to work among immigrants, despite institutional doubt.

Cabrini and her fellow Sisters travel to New York to care for poor Italian immigrants. On their first night, they have nowhere to stay and are let into a brothel by Vittoria, a sympathetic prostitute who warns them to bar their door. Geno, a pimp, immediately signals the dangers of the streets they are entering.

Archbishop Corrigan initially resists their work, but Cabrini shows him a letter from the Pope, and he grudgingly allows their mission to continue. He remains wary, yet acknowledges the need to help the poor. This permission marks the official start of their charitable efforts in the city.

The Sisters establish charity and hospital services, caring for many children in immigrant districts. Cabrini sometimes ventures underground at night to search for missing children, risking her fragile health. Dr. Murphy later joins and strengthens the order's medical efforts.

Paolo and Enzo, contemplating a future in the mafia, attempt to steal bread to survive. Cabrini shows them mercy by inviting them to dinner with the Sisters instead of turning them away. This act begins to steer Paolo toward a different path within the community.

When Geno tries to reclaim Vittoria, Paolo fires a shot that cripples Geno. Cabrini's guidance influences Paolo's choices and pushes him away from a life of crime. The incident underscores the constant danger surrounding the immigrant community.

Geno and a henchman ambush Vittoria, threatening her life. She defends herself and stabs Geno to death in self-defense. The violence highlights the peril women faced in the street and the Sisters' determination to protect their people.

Cabrini purchases an Upper West Side property to establish a children’s home, a major milestone for her mission. The mayor treats the effort with hostility and a city inspector evicts the group, complicating their plans. Despite these setbacks, the project continues to move forward in spirit.

Archbishop Corrigan locates a former Jesuit property for the Sisters, who must dig water wells there, a demanding task that Cabrini undertakes personally. A pump station accident kills Enzo and others, adding to the tragedy surrounding the community and strengthening Cabrini’s resolve.

Dr. Murphy warns that a better-equipped hospital could have saved more lives, fueling Cabrini’s drive for a stronger facility. With support from wealthy donors from Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrant communities, she purchases an old building to establish a proper hospital. The project expands beyond a single shelter toward a full medical institution.

At a fundraising event, Enrico DiSalvo initially refuses to sing. Cabrini assembles a choir of Italian immigrants who perform Va, pensiero under his window, moving him to participate. Touched by the performance, DiSalvo agrees to lend his voice for the cause.

A major Italian-American festival fundraiser is shut down by police, who harass attendees with racist slurs. Cabrini is arrested, and Corrigan orders her back to Italy, attempting to curb her growing influence in New York.

Cabrini travels to Italy with Vittoria and another nun; the Pope overrules Corrigan and supports her mission, though he questions the tension between faith and ambition. He also secures support from the Italian Senate to finish the hospital, even as violence and arson threaten the project.

Despite a long journey and ongoing health challenges, Cabrini is canonized as the first American saint, becoming the patroness of immigrants. Her order spreads worldwide, leaving a lasting legacy that includes work in China and beyond.