Father John X. Halligan is a Catholic Priest visiting Rome, Italy for the 1950 Holy Year. Along the way, a con man named Joe Brewster, who is wanted by American authorities, steals Halligan's clothing and his identity in the hopes of evading arrest. The Italian police soon find the real Fr. Halligan, the police chief assures him that they will find and arrest Brewster. Halligan soon manages to track down Brewster on his own. The two men begin to develop a friendship of sorts and Brewster eventually makes his first confession in many years to Fr. Halligan. The two then make their way through the streets of Rome and the Vatican, visiting all the major basilicas as part of a pilgrimage.