随着老教皇的去世,红衣主教团齐聚梵蒂冈准备选出新一任教皇。世界各地虔诚的教徒和各路记者聚集在圣彼得广场,翘首以待那股从烟囱中飘出的白烟。可是在梵蒂冈内部,教皇的选举进行得并不顺利。有希望当选的候选红衣主教们纷纷互相推脱,经过几轮的挣扎选定了红衣主教梅尔维尔(米歇尔·皮寇利 Michel Piccoli 饰)。可是梅尔维尔完全没有做好成为教皇的心理准备,不仅在第一次与公众见面的阳台演说上临阵脱逃,甚至离家出走消失在罗马的大街小巷里。梵蒂冈一边对外安抚民众,一边全力搜寻落跑的教皇!在没有教皇的日子里,梵蒂冈里会发生什么不一样的状况?而回到民间的梅尔维尔又会在离家出走的几天里获得什么别样的感悟?At the Vatican, following the demise of the Pope, the conclave to elect his successor settles on Cardinal Melville. But the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square wait in vain for the new Pope to step out on the balcony. What is going on? Behind the thick walls of the Vatican panic has set in. After uttering a terrible howl of fear, the Cardinal refuses the office. The officials do everything to try to reason with Melville, including a psychoanalyst, appointed by the Vatican... Do we really have a Pope?