In spite of his blustering manner and his refusal to listen to what the patients have to say, Dr. Doppelsieder is highly respected in the Upper Bavarian town of Bayrischzell, because he (almost) always has the right remedy and effective advice ready for the sick. The only person he can't help is Pfundtner, the rich Guldenhof farmer. He wants a remedy that, after seven daughters, will finally help him and his wife to the longed-for farm inheritance.
In 1523, young Thomas Müntzer arrives with his wife Ottilie in the Thuringian village Allstedt to assume the rectorate. As a follower of Luther′s teachings, he finds in the Bible not only reasons for clerical, but also for secular reforms. But when Luther turns away from the rural population after a discord with Müntzer, it is Müntzer who becomes the peoples′ spokesman. He is forced to go to Southern Germany, where he convenes with revolting farmers. But his way leads him back to Thuringia. In 1525, he and Heinrich Pfeiffer form the centre of the Thuringian peasant uprising in Mühlhausen, but their success is diminished by the fact that peasants and craftsmen don′t seem to be able to work together. In Frankenhausen, Müntzer becomes the leader of a peasants′ army that is set to fighting the ruler′s army – and sustains a devastating loss. Müntzer is arrested and sentenced to death by decapitation for his insurgency.