After happy years as a pastor in the country, Hans Reiser takes over a parish in Munich. There is a yawning emptiness in his church and people leaving the church are the order of the day. Reiser doesn't want to accept it like that: whether it's free beer at church festivals, parrots and other critters in church services, or the pulpit as a platform for young environmental activists - with his unconventional actions, Reiser soon arouses increasing interest in his community. The single mother Lisa Kirchberger, who actually has little to do with the church, also likes Reiser's courageous, hands-on nature and a real friendship soon develops between the two. Although the cosmopolitan and spirited Reiser succeeds in filling the church with more and more life, Cardinal Georg Brunnenmayr increasingly goes too far with his protégé's zeal for reform. But Pastor Reiser doesn't let himself be defeated so quickly...