Set halfway through the 17th century, a church play is performed for the benefit of the young aristocrat Cosimo. In the play, a grotesque old woman gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. The child's older sister is quick to exploit the situation, selling blessings from the baby, and even claiming she's the true mother by virgin birth. However, when she attempts to seduce the bishop's son, the Church exacts a terrible revenge.
Julia Ormond
as The Daughter
Ralph Fiennes
as The Bishop's Son
Philip Stone
as The Bishop
Jonathan Lacey
as Cosimo Medici
Don Henderson
as The Father Confessor
Celia Gregory
as The Mother Superior
Jeff Nuttall
as The Major Domo
Jessica Hynes
as The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson)
Kathryn Hunter
as The Second Midwife
Gabrielle Reidy
as The Third Midwife
Frank Egerton
as The Prompter
Phelim McDermott
as The First Tutor
