When the female employees and lone male worker of the Veronica lingerie factory are laid off, hilarity ensues. Led by their supervisor Armida (Donatella Finocchiaro), the ladies band together and enlist the help of the sisters in the nearby convent to produce their own lingerie which they sell to a local boutique shop. The plan works smoothly until the mother superior discovers the shenanigans, and the factory owner returns to discover the factory’s sewing machines are now at the convent.
Not realizing that they are about to lose their jobs, the Veronica factory employees work hard to complete lingerie for an upcoming fashion show. Armida supervises the women and it's clear they are a close group. In the middle of the day, the women receive a text from their boss Veronica (Anna Bellato) that they are being laid off for three months.
Unknown to the women, Veronica is planning to move the factory to Serbia. Upset, Armida goes to the nearby convent where her aunt and the other sisters work on embroidery for the fine veil covering the deceased noblewoman Armida. “Blessed Armida” founded the Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cloak and passed on her embroidery skills and faith to the sisters.
Armida’s aunt promises she will pray all night to “Blessed Armida” for her niece; when the aunt drifts off, a candle falls over and starts a fire. After the mother superior sees the chaos, she faints and hits her head; out of commission, a young nun Sister Caterina (Maria Roveran) temporarily assumes the mother superior’s duties. More hilarity results when the bishop informs Sister Caterina that structural repairs must be made by a certain date, or, the sisters may be forced to leave. In fact, Sister Caterina discovers the bishop is planning to sell the convent to a buyer who will convert it into a luxury resort.
With a need to find the money for the repairs and save the convent, Sister Caterina agrees to enlist her fellow sisters into making embroidery for the lingerie that the Veronica employees are making to sell. When a potential buyer asks for a catalog, the gutsy women pose in the lingerie-- with much laughter-- to create the catalog. They even persuade Sister Caterina to model the stockings. Of course, their clever scheme can’t last and they are found out; rather than giving up, the sisters and the ladies form BEATE (Blessed Girls Saint Armida Women’s Cooperative) and continue to sew together. With many comical scenes, lively music, and amusing characters, Beate is great fun to watch. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P.