In 1928, in the quiet farming town of
Earling, Iowa, a young woman named
Emma Schmidt begins to suffer from terrifying and inexplicable supernatural phenomena. She is tormented by night terrors, violent outbursts, speaking in languages she does not know, and an unnatural hatred toward anything sacred. Her family, devout
Catholic Christians, believes she is
possessed and seek help from the Church. Their desperate plea reaches Father
Theophilus Riesinger, a seasoned priest of the
Capuchin religious order known for conducting exorcisms. Riesinger travels to Iowa with a reluctant companion, Father Joseph Steiger, a younger priest. Steiger is skeptical of
demonic possession, haunted by his brother’s recent suicide. Yet when he meets Emma and witnesses her inexplicable actions, his skepticism begins to erode. The
exorcisms take place at a
convent attached to a
parish church. Riesinger, who knew Emma in childhood, believes in the authenticity of the case and seeks to help her through the exorcisms,
prayer, and talking. Emma is roomed upstairs and upon arrival to the church, demonstrates aversion to food that was
prayed over. As the
ritual begins, the house seems to change, the temperature drops, the air thickens, and Emma
convulses. She begins to speak in multiple voices, some mocking and vile, others eerily calm. The
demons reveal themselves as ancient
unclean spirits, including
Beelzebub,
Judas Iscariot, and even Emma’s deceased father, a man who had abused her in life. The spirit of her aunt, rumored to have practiced
witchcraft, also appears. Exorcisms are conducted over a period of twenty-three days, in three major stages. During the same, Emma vomits strange substances,
levitates, and speaks in
Latin,
German, Spanish, and
Aramaic. Amidst the exorcisms for Emma, Steiger continues his priestly duty of offering daily
Mass in the church. However, the toll on Steiger's health is noticed by the
Mother superior. Steiger slowly finds renewed purpose in helping Emma and is seen wearing his St. Michael
devotional medal, which has the
Saint Benedict Medal on its reverse side. During the final stage, which lasts for 72 continuous hours, Riesinger continues with intensity, while Steiger finally commits himself fully to the ritual. After Emma ran into the catacombs, the priests locate her and drive out the demons, demanding them to obey
Christ. Many of the nuns at the convent simultaneously offer prayers for Emma. Then, she opens her eyes; the exorcism is complete and Emma is delivered from the demons. In the aftermath, Emma returns to a normal life, with both Riesinger being featured in the media and Steiger's journals being studied. ==Cast==