JohannesKlareisthesenior,charismaticpreacherofanunofficial,self-supportingfringechurchinStuttgart,aidedbyhisdevout,devotedwifeLydiaandherex-concousinBerndTrampe.FindingjuvenilehomelessbuskerSimonRützel,whotalkedsense,bythewaybutrefusingtobetakentohospitalasODdjunkie,thechildlesscoupletakehimintheirhomeandstarttothinkofhimasalostson.RichparishionerVolkerReicheofferstoprivatelyfinancetheherd'sdreamofacommunitycenter,butJohannesgrowssuspiciousofhisagenda.DiscoveringSimon'shomosexualnature,Johannesdecidesagainstthrowinghimoutandmustadmittheexorcistisagrossbigot.InLydia'sweekendabsence,JohannessuccumbswhenSimonrightlyguesseshesuppressedhisowngaylustforyears,butcomescleantoLydia,where-afterSimonisdriventorelapseandthecoupleseekstorescuetheirlivesandvocationafterthe'mortalsin'getsknown.