On a picture of the feretory containing the remains of Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, an annotation recalls important moments in the life of the pastor of Ars as well as his sanctification. Pictures of the winter landscape surrounding Ars, the village streets, church and the parsonage, remind of the pastor’s life, humbleness and love.
As a counterpoint to the image, the commentary dwells on the demanding severity of the pastor’s sermons, and furthermore the parish’s reactions to them, evidence of a hostile attitude.
Finally, the film is a narration of how the pastor is tempted to escape, how he is ashamed of his cowardice and how he returns to the confessional that he shouldn’t ever leave again.
The picture of the feretory shown in the beginning is accompanied by testimonies given during the process of sanctification.

Jean Pierre Berthomé, Jacques Demy et les racines du rêve, L’Atalante, Nantes 1982