The film is one story, a composite of events occurring in Uruguay during the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Jesuit Priests entered the tribal lands and set up missions where natives were taught farming, faith, and civilization according to European Catholic standards.  The Treaty of Madrid, signed in 1750, involved the transfer of lands from Spanish control to Portuguese control, and resulted in the question of what to do with the missions existing on those lands and the natives who lived in the mission communities.  Spanish law, technically, forbade the enslaving of natives, whereas Portuguese law did not.  This meant that the natives in the communities were suddenly available as cattle for commercial enterprise.  As is usually the case, the Europeans didn’t bother considering whether the natives might already have a civilization and a preference to not be shuffled off their home territories and/or enslaved by the dictates of newcomers.

The first arriving priest, in the film, is sent over a massive waterfall on a cross, symbolizing the natives’ perspective of this person and the message he came to deliver about a crucified God.  The second (played by Irons) climbs up the falls and sits patiently playing music until the natives’ curiosity overcomes their judgment.  One leader expresses his opinion, breaking the instrument, but to no avail.  Music has soothed the savage beast, and becomes the entre for establishing a new mission at the top of the falls.  The next scene introduces a slaver (DeNiro), who postpones his capture plan when confronted by the priest.

At home, the slave trader learns that his girlfriend and brother have developed a relationship.  Dueling, he kills his brother, then goes into isolation.  The visiting priest (Irons) is challenged to minister to this man.  They discuss penance, the notion that humans can set the price and pay for various sins, which by definition are offenses against the Holiness of God.  Since God is the One offended, He alone is qualified to indicate what level of apology and restitution are sufficient.  Returning to the story, what price can be high enough for killing a brother?  “Do you dare to try severe penance?” asks the priest…”Do you dare to see it fail?” returns the slaver.  In this exchange, they reinforce the perspective of human institution in the redemption of souls, which is immeasurably short of God’s requirement and provision.

The price seems to be set, as we next see the slaver dragging what may represent all his worldly possessions, certainly his armor and weaponry, up the falls.  One priest (Liam Neeson) decides to release the burden, as he supposes that the slaver has suffered enough.  This actually increases the suffering, as the man must now climb down the falls, retrieve the bundle, and start back up again.  Thus it is when we try to satisfy our own conscience before a Holy God – we inherently know that no price we can pay will ever be high enough.  At the end of the uphill struggle, faced with life or death, the man’s pride and possessions are easily traded in for forgiveness.  Healing finally begins as he lives among the natives and pursues the contemplative life of mission priesthood.

Obedience to the church comes in conflict with truth when the priests are informed that the kings ofSpainandPortugalhave made an agreement which involves transfer of the land on which the mission is established.  The reformed slaver reveals that althoughSpainhas laws against enslaving natives and they are technically obeyed, the Spanish buy slaves captured and sold by the Portuguese, and so the men at the meeting are declared hypocrites and liars.  The concern is that the natives living freely in the mission community will suddenly become slaves, overturning all the progress made by the priests.  The church’s higher concern, however, is in keeping peace in the political exchanges, not in the redeeming of souls.  Unfortunately, many of today’s churches and church leadership are likewise distracted.

Once he complies with the requirement to apologize for his insulting, albeit truthful, expression, DeNiro’s character withdraws from Jesuit training to take up arms and defend the mission’s inhabitants against those who would seek to overtake and enslave them.  Two other priests in training, including Neeson, follow suit, while Irons maintains his commitment to nonviolence.

The cardinal visits the mission and experiences firsthand the natives’ new life of cooperative farming and beautiful music, both instrumental and vocal.  He admits that destruction of this place and its people is inexcusable, but he follows the directives of the church, which follow the directives of the kings.  (One more example of why church and state must not be above and/or below one another in authority)  In a meeting with the tribal leaders, he is directly questioned why God should change His mind about His will for the native people.  They have made the decision to leave the jungles, where the devil lives, and be in a community devoted to God.  That God would send them back to the jungle is incongruous, and they ask quite pointedly whether the cardinal is actually His spokesman, and if so, why he would not speak on God’s behalf to the European kings.  The cardinal says he did speak to those kings, but being kings, they didn’t listen.  Being kings also, says the tribal leader, we will not listen either.  With that, the meeting is finished and the natives each make their choice between battle and passive resistance, and begin preparations for each.

The film reaches it’s inevitable conclusions, with a couple of postscript commentaries on senseless slaughter and the power of love’s light to resume shining in the darkest of places.  The story is too familiar, and will continue to repeat itself until darkness is finally and irreversibly banished.