in order to save Mona, the head of the baby must be crushed. Stephen will not allow the doctor to do so, because according to Catholic doctrine, the baby may not be killed. Mona dies giving birth to the child, Regina. Racked with guilt over the death of his sister, Stephen suffers a crisis of faith, so he is transferred to Europe and made a monsignor, but he is unsure of how committed he is to a life in the clergy, and he travels to Vienna, taking a two-year sabbatical by working as a lecturer. There he meets and enters into a relationship with a young woman, Annemarie (Romy Schneider). Stephen does not violate his vows. Stephen's vocation calls him back to Rome and the church. The Vatican returns him to the United States on a mission in the American South to assist a black priest named Father Gillis (Ossie Davis) who is opposed by the Ku Klux Klan. After successfully handling the assignment, Stephen is consecrated as a bishop, with Father Gillis present for the consecration. Stephen is sent back to Austria to persuade a cardinal not to cooperate with the Nazi government, with a threat of a world war looming over all. He and the cardinal ultimately must flee for their lives. He manages to see Annemarie one last time after she has been imprisoned by the Nazi authorities. After the success of the missions on which the Vatican had sent him, he is elevated to the College of Cardinals. On the eve of World War II, a ceremony is held in which Stephen formally becomes a cardinal. He warns about the dangers of totalitarianism and pledges to dedicate the rest of his life to his work. Cast Tom Tryon as Stephen Fermoyle Carol Lynley as Mona Fermoyle / Regina Fermoyle Dorothy Gish as Celia Fermoyle Maggie McNamara as Florrie Fermoyle Bill Hayes as Frank Fermoyle Cameron Prud'Homme as Din Fermoyle Romy Schneider as Annemarie von Hartmann Peter Weck as Kurt von Hartmann Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Monaghan Ossie Davis as Father Gillis Loring Smith as Cornelius J. Deegan John Saxon as Benny Rampell James Hickman as Father Lyons Berenice Gahm as Mrs Ramble John Huston as Cardinal Glennon Jose Duvall (as Jose Duval) as Ramon Gongaro Peter MacLean as Father Callahan Robert Morse as Bobby and His Adora-Belles Burgess Meredith as Father Ned Halley Josef Meinrad as