A young priest, asked to administer the last rites to a condemned man, is overwhelmed by the somber atmosphere of the execution chamber. The condemned man, led by the jailer, is 22 years old, but appears much younger than his age. The priest instinctively senses something is wrong with the accusation that the young prisoner killed his father, yet the prisoner is unusually calm. As the execution procedure progresses, the priest tries to hear something else from the condemned man's lips, but he speaks from his heart. He expresses his convictions, as if chiding the priest for clinging to appearances, and calmly faces death.