Le pupille

During WWII, a young girl named Serafina arrives at an Italian Catholic boarding school for orphaned girls on Christmas Eve, bringing a large cake and a plea for prayers from her boyfriend, who is having an affair. The nuns, led by the strict Mother Superior Fioralba, are outraged when they discover one of the girls has been dancing and singing along to a love song on the radio, but Serafina refuses to own up to it. As Christmas morning arrives, Fioralba presents the custard cake, which she secretly plans to deliver to the bishop in exchange for funds, but Serafina's defiance and loyalty to her fellow students lead to a joyful and defiant conclusion.