Party secretary and farmer Mattes is said to have inherited his family's traditional second sight. He can predict the weather, locate missing husbands, heal the sick and all sorts of other amazing things. The local pastor Himmelsknecht constantly tries to prove that such things don't exist, but news of Mattes's talents nevertheless spreads to the district capital and to the Vatican.

Comrade Dr. Angelika Unglaube and Monsignore Romeo Aventuro are sent to investigate the case and they end up experiencing several "miracles" during their time in the village. Mattes takes everything in stride because he knows that his gifts depend on precise awareness and long-standing familiarity with his neighbors and his surroundings.