Black Narcissus is based on Rumer Godden's bestselling novel, set in 1934, the final years of British rule in India. Ambitious Sister Clodagh and the nuns of Saint Faith go on a mission to Nepal in the Himalayas. There they are confronted with the dark secrets of the remote palace of Mopu, once known as the "House of the Women". Isolation, illness and conflict quickly take their toll on the community. While past and present clash, suppressed sexual desires between male powers and the pious sisters threaten to end in a fatal confrontation.