Mother Maria Pia Mastena as a young child has a vision of Jesus that leads her to a life dedicated to the Lord and others. But this life is not without challenges, both from without and within. Internal doubts and misinterpretations of her actions by those around her lead to conflicts along the way. She plods on, continuing to serve and love others, eventually triumphing over her challenges and leading her to opening orphanages, free meal services, medical clinics and evening schools for women. In the end, she is able to realize her dream, the founding of a special order dedicated to the image of Jesus that transformed her as a child: "The Institute of the Sacred Countenance." The establishment of the order sees her efforts expand across the world. Her figure put the common earthly world in communication with the heavenly one.