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Angela Chiaromonte, heir to a vast Italian estate, is left penniless and homeless when her father dies and her half-sister, the Marchesa di Mola, destroys the will dividing the property between the two daughters.

Angela's fiancée, Giovanni Severini, goes to war in Africa, promising marriage on his return.  When reports of his death arrive, Angela joins a convent.

Severini, taken prisoner, escapes to Italy and there meets Angela, whom he tries to persuade to renounce her vows.  Angela rejects him, unable to leave the order.  Severini dies helping the townspeople escape the erupting Vesuvius.