Growing up in a devoutly religious family, Michaela is a sheltered, naive young woman battling epilepsy. When she leaves home for university and tastes freedom for the first time, she also has her beliefs and comfortable worldview dramatically shaken. The confusion and fear brought on by her budding friendship with Hanna and growing romantic feelings for Stefan trigger a breakdown, which a local priest tells her is possession. With Stefan and Hanna pleading with her to seek psychiatric help on one side and her rigid moral upbringing on the other, Michaela finds herself trapped between opposing forces as she tries to deal with her fate. While clearly not being a proponent of exorcisms, Schmid and writer Bernd Lange create a character that is in a script free of judgment and condemnation, and that explores the social and religious pressures and beliefs that lead to a decision to perform an exorcism.