"Bernice Buttman is tired of being labeled a 'bully,' so when her mom leaves her with her aunt, who is a nun, Bernice decides to mend her ways and become a model citizen"--
Homer Smith, a black ex-GI, encounters Mother Maria Marthe, the leader of a group of German-speaking nuns, and is soon playing a pivotal role in helping them realize their dream of building an adobe chapel in the desert.