Of Gods and Men

Eight monks live in a Cistercian monastery in the wild, parched, sun-drenched landscape of Algeria. They live out an unchanging daily ritual of farming and praying, marked by communal meals and chants. Theirs is a spiritual existence, but they also live and work in harmony with the locals, providing medical care while also taking part in local Muslim customs. One of the monks is as conversant with the Koran as he is with the Bible.

But outside the doors of their monastery other more sinister forces are at work. When a group of Croatian workers are murdered, the local mayor urges the brothers to close their doors and move away. This forces a crisis of conscience among the eight men, and when a fundamentalist militia group turns up one day, the choices they must make become very real and immediate. It soon becomes apparent to some of the monks that their very lives may well be in danger.