In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope's soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they came to get Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. According to a maid’s statement, she had believed the then six-month old child to be on the verge of death and had secretly baptized him. The papal law is unquestionable: he is Catholic and must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo's parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortara’s battle soon took on a political dimension. But the Pope did not agree to return the child. While Edgardo grew up in the Catholic faith, the temporal power of the Church was declining.