Florence Delay stars as Joan of Arc, a French military leader, who is undergoing a trial on the charge of heresy in 1431, during the Hundred Years' War.

In 1431 Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has led the French troops against the English during the third phase of the Hundred Years' War, is imprisoned for heresy and brought to trial by an pro-English court in Rouen.

Despite constant interrogations by the judges, Jeanne's faith in her mission, which she insists was assigned to her by God, remains unshaken.

"[2] He spoke unfavourably of Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 film, which covered the same subject, calling the actors' performances "horrible buffoonery".

[6] Retrospective reviews have been more positive, titling it a "gripping courtroom drama" (Kevin Maher, The Times)[9] which features Delay as "one of the director's most perfect 'models'" (Melissa Anderson, The Village Voice)[7] and culminates in an "unforgettable final image" (Gilbert Adair, Time Out).