In the summer of 1807, Clemens Brentano stumbles into the most extreme love affair of his life. The woman, who, aged barely 17-years-old, throws herself at him with such terrifying brutality, is called Auguste Bussmann.

1818 in the Münsterland: Innumerable pilgrims seeking comfort and consolation visit the bedside of Anna Katharina von Emmerich, a nun whose body bears marks of the holy wounds of Christ on her chest, forehead and hands. Clemens von Brentano, an artist in his prime, visits the nun′s sickbed as a simple "writer of the wonders of God" to take down her visions and beliefs. He believes himself to be in charge of his life as a devout Catholic. The former rake′s encounter with the charismatic nun proves fateful, however. For both of them.