Beginning with an overall picture of the religious vocation, the author describes how the nun tries to cultivate virtue in her continual search for sanctity. She outlines the history and developments of the sisterhoods since their beginnings in the second century. The customs, the requirements and the work of the first groups are compared with those of today, and both the similarities and the differences of each era reveal the continuity and adaptability of the orders. The traditional consecration of the virgins, the habit, the different vows, the community life--all these aspects and many more are discussed at length.