This film, set in the early sixteenth century, thematizes the relationship between art and political responsibility. 

On the eve of the German Peasants' Revolt, painter Joerg Ratgeb is occupied by a crisis of his own: finding a model for a Christ figure. He sets off on a journey to consult with his artistic role model, Albrecht Dürer. Although Ratgeb has always tried to stay out of the political conflict, his journey brings him face-to-face with peasant revolutionaries and the brutality and violence of their daily lives. These experiences help Ratgeb mature as a painter, and he uses his art to give voice to what he now perceives as a just cause.