In World War I an English officer is inspired to fulfill his mission when he finds the decayed sword of Joan of Arc who appears to him in a vision. The story goes back through her leadership of the French Army and her burning at the stake.

Hollywood showman Cecil B. DeMille’s early Joan of Arc epic brings into conflict expectations of womanhood from history, both from the era and the history of cinema. Joan the Woman was DeMille’s first historical film, for which he cast notorious opera singer Geraldine Farrar in the title role.