A humble scientist from Padua proves that the Earth revolves and that it is not the center of the universe. He has few supporters and many enemies. When Giordano Bruno dies a martyr's death, Galileo exclaims: "Science needs scientists, not martyrs!" In order to preserve his discovery and continue his research he tries to make peace with the church but does not succeed. Slandered and misunderstood by his contemporaries, Galileo suffers the tragic isolation of men of genius the importance of whose lifework is recognized only by subsequent generations.