The Miracle

Teresa, an orphan, is taken in by the sisters at the Miraflores convent in Salamanca. She loves the convent life but is a handful for her superiors. She sings worldly love songs for the other postulants and reads secular stories and plays. She also cherishes a statue of the Virgin Mary.

During the British march toward battle with Napoleon's forces, Teresa spots the handsome Captain Michael Stuart as he waters his horse. The moment draws her attention and a spark of attraction begins to grow. He and Teresa become fascinated by each other and start to fall in love.

After the British victory at Salamanca, the regiment returns to the convent which the Mother Superior offers as a hospital. Teresa learns more about Michael, and their affection deepens as they share the hardship of wounded soldiers. Their growing connection sets the stage for romance across occupied lines.

Michael asks Teresa to marry him and she hesitates, torn between her calling and her love. They share a kiss and she agrees to meet him at the town inn if she contemplates leaving the religious life. The possibility of a new life lures her toward the edge of the cloister.

In the chapel she prays for guidance but receives no clear sign. She strips her postulant habit and runs into the night to meet Michael. At that moment the Virgin Mary statue comes to life, steps off its pedestal, and secretly takes Teresa's place at the convent.

A thunderstorm roars as the statue departs with Teresa, and the valley soon experiences a severe drought. The townspeople believe the Virgin's intercession caused the prosperity, even as crops fail afterward. The statue's disappearance marks years of hardship.

The French return and ravage the town. Teresa is nearly raped by a French sergeant but is rescued by a band of gypsies led by Guido the Gypsy. Guido holds Michael's watch, which ties him to Teresa's past.

A quarrel with the gypsy camp leads Teresa to renounce Christianity, ripping off a crucifix necklace and declaring herself no Christian. The moment underscores her sense of abandonment and crisis of faith after the losses she has suffered.

Michael is captured but escapes and returns to the convent to take Teresa with him to England. The Mother Superior reveals that Teresa is now the Bride of Christ, fully professed in the nun's vow. Michael finds Teresa, but the nun he sees is actually the living Virgin Mary in disguise.

Teresa, believing Michael dead, falls in love with Guido. Carlitos grows envious and betrays Guido to the French. In a brutal crackdown, the soldiers shoot many, including Guido; Carlitos is later killed by La Roca in vengeance.

La Roca banishes Teresa from the gypsy camp, and Flaco becomes her protector as they wander Spain. Teresa eventually reaches Madrid, flirting with Cordoba the bullfighter and drawing the attention of Count Casimir, who funds her singing career. A bullfight ends with the bullfighter being gored, deepening Teresa's superstition that she brings misfortune.

Four years later, on a Belgian tour, Teresa attends a ball prepared for British officers and unexpectedly encounters Michael again. They reminisce and Michael explains his delayed return, while he notes that the Virgin's statue vanished. The scene foreshadows the ongoing war and their fragile reunion.

Moved by Michael's presence and the fear of harming him, Teresa prays for guidance in a church and resolves to return to her true vocation. She plans to go back to the convent with Flaco, leaving Michael to continue his duty. Michael, understanding, asks the priest for guidance and supports her decision.

Michael leads a cavalry charge against Napoleon's forces; a cannonball wounds his helmet but he survives, a moment perceived by Wellington as miraculous intervention. He returns to Teresa's flat, and she sends him away, choosing her vow over their love.

Back in Salamanca, the drought continues until the Virgin Mary statue reappears on its pedestal and Teresa is found properly habited in prayer. A thunderstorm accompanies the miracle, and the townspeople celebrate by singing Ave verum corpus. The statue's return marks mercy and restoration for the valley.