Viridiana is a novice at a Spanish convent. She finds comfort in the solitude of convent life. Before she takes her final vows and becomes cloistered within the convent walls as a nun, her Mother Superior directs her to visit her Uncle Jaime at his farm, one last time before he dies. Despite Uncle Jaime having paid for her education, Viridiana is reluctant to visit him, both because she's uncomfortable outside the convent, and because she's only met him once in her life and doesn't feel close to him. The visit leads to actions and decisions with disastrous, tragic consequences and/or results. One decision is that Viridiana changes her mind about returning the convent, feeling that she can no longer do so. She redirects her work in the name of God to the down-and-outs in the nearby village, One of Uncle Jaime's actions leads to the return of his estranged adult son Jorge, whose presence at the farm may be in stark contrast to Viridiana's wants, again all in the name of God.