The White Sister (1915)

Donna Angela Chiaromonte returns home from a sitting at a famous artist's with her aunt--the Marchesa--and Giovanni Severi, a young officer who is in love with her, and finds that her father has been killed. Her aunt, who is in love with the officer and extremely jealous of her niece, takes charge of the castle and destroys the will that leaves the property to her niece; because there was no civil marriage, the property revers to her husband. The Marchesa then takes the title of Princess Chiaromonte while Donna Angela, with no name of fortune, goes to live with a former nurse in a humble cottage. Giovanni is suddenly ordered to Egypt at the head of a command. Shortly afterwards word comes that he and all his troops have been waylaid and killed. Overwhelmed with grief, Donna Angela enters a convent; two years later she takes the vows and becomes "The White Sister." Five years after his disappearance, Giovanni returns, the only survivor of the expedition. He had been wounded and captured and enslaved until his escape. He is overwhelmed with grief to find that his betrothed has taken the veil and does everything to persuade her to renounce her vows, but she stands firm. Then Giovanni, who has been put in charge of a powder magazine, is injured in an explosion and taken to the convent hospital. The doctor tells him that his life can be saved by the amputation of his arm. Giovanni refuses to consent, saying he prefers to die. "The White Sister" pleads with him, but he will not yield. But the kindly Mgr. Sarasemesti, who has been watching the couple for some time and sees how desperately in love both are, gets a special dispensation so that "The White Sister" can leave the convent and the sisterhood. The sweethearts are then reunited.