Jeanne is a doctor consumed by guilt. Her life is at a standstill because of the murder of one of her patients and the woman′s daughter-a murder Jeanne believes she could have prevented. François is consumed with fear for his ailing grandmother. He undertakes a novena, nine consecutive days of prayer, in the hope of buying her more time. When the two meet in a peaceful riverside town, François asks for her help and in return his faith and simplicity give Jeanne the will to cope with her situation and start living again. Bernard Émond throws out questions of fate and will, faith and God in his latest film that explores the meaninglessness of life and the hopelessness of existence. Remarking on his own increasing interest in philosophical issues, Émond points to his belief that we live in a culture on the verge of self-destruction as the source, and the possibility that faith is more progressive than a lack of it. The Novena is a smart, sensitive, gratifying film that transcends religious belief.