St Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700), canonized in 1982, is a key figure in Canadian and religious history as founder of the first school in Montreal and the Congregation de Notre-Dame de Montreal, one of the first uncloistered religious communities of women. In this biography Patricia Simpson goes behind the mist of myth and hagiography surrounding Marguerite Bourgeoys to reveal her true character.

Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal documents her life in France and in the struggling settlement of Ville-Marie (present-day Montreal) in New France, placing her life within the larger historical context of the time and highlighting the role of women in society and the church.