
In early eighteenth-century Venice an orphan girl discovers life & independence in the music of Vivaldi. The female musicians of the Instituto della Pieta play from a gallery in the church, their faces half hidden by metal grilles. They live segregated from the world. Cecilia, is a violinist who, during anguished, sleepless nights, writes letters to the mother she never knew, haunted by her & hating her by turns. She eats little & cannot sleep. But things begin to change when a new violin teacher arrives at the institute. The astonishing music of Vivaldi, the ' Red Priest', electrifies her & changes her attitude to life, compelling her to make a courageous choice.