The Winter Light is the second in a trilogy of dramas by acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman that explores religious faith and doubts in a visceral, visual, and provocative manner. The first, Through a Glass Darkly, was an international success and heralded this new phase in the director's career. This compelling drama is set within a three-hour period on a Sunday afternoon in November, and begins when the local pastor, Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand), is finishing his sermon. Once communion has ended, Marta (Ingrid Thulin), a plain-looking married woman who has long been in love with the pastor, approaches him for help with her husband Jonas (Max von Sydow). Jonas is anxiety-ridden over the nuclear power of the Communist Chinese, but Pastor Ericsson cannot help him -- his own religious dilemma is overpowering. As Ericsson struggles with his demons and faces Marta's unwanted (and to him, repugnant) romantic attentions, some hints of the qualities of God begin to surface.