The Divine Comedy's Purgatorio follows Dante's journey up Mount Purgatory, where souls are cleansed of their seven deadly sins on the seven terraces to prepare for Heaven. Guided by Virgil, Dante ascends the mountain, observing penitents who are in a state of change and prayer, a contrast to the static nature of Hell. The poem culminates at the summit's Garden of Eden, where Dante's guide, Virgil, must leave him and Beatrice, representing divine love, becomes his new guide.