Lode Van Hecke has been the abbot of Orval's Cistercian Monastery for ten years. He has been living in the 11th century abbey for more than 40 years, a place that, according to him, is still full of beauty. In times when the Catholic Church in Flanders is faltering and churches and monasteries are run down, he sees it as his task to look forward to the future - even if he may be Orval's final abbot. Alicja gets the extraordinary opportunity to live in the community for three days.