Two vagabonds Jean (Laurent Terzieff) and Pierre (Paul Frankeur) are hitching a ride from Paris to Spain as a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostels to pray over the remains of Saint James. As the two travel by whatever methods they can get and depending on the locals for food, they seem to shift their existence in time, flashing back to biblical times, medieval times, and renaissance times to scenes confronting and examining theological texts and arguments surrounding heresy. Along the way Jean and Pierre meet up with Jesus (Bernard Verley) showing off his abilities, and the Marquis de Sade (Michel Piccoli) begins a new relationship with a young girl in chains, and also Satan (Pierre Clementi) who appears during a car crash to establish some interesting points about religion. In the end our two beggars realize some interesting new ideas about the world they inhabit.