In 1654 in Greece under Ottoman rule, a solitary janissary collapses from his wounds outside an isolated Orthodox monastery for women.

Both are fascinated by the presence of a man and, as he recovers, Areti starts an affair with him while Anthi has conflicting emotions.

Learning that he is a deserter with a price on his head, the nuns realise that they dare not hide him and inform the authorities.

Anthi is in fact a boy, who was hidden in the monastery to avoid the devsirme, the kidnapping of Orthodox children by the Ottomans as recruits for the army.

Initially disgusted, the soldier slowly builds up a comradeship with the gauche lad but one day they are recaptured.