The film, The Agony and the Ecstasy, portrays the hardship that sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti endured while painting the Sistine Chapel. The film began with the infamous Pope Julius II, who employed Michelangelo to create his tomb in Vatican City. Pope Julius later stopped Michelangelo's current task, and forced him to incorporate the Apostles onto the roof of the Sistine Chapel. Later, Michelangelo abandoned the project by escaping to a distant mine. After the Pope's army approached the mine, Michelangelo escaped high into the wilderness, but was motivated after seeing a captivating cloud. As Michelangelo proved the impossible, he continued to paint the roof of the Sistine Chapel for several months. On one night, Michelangelo fell from