A.D. 1152: As a beekeeper, Seyfried roams through the Black Forest, harvesting honey and wax from wild bee colonies. When his wife is sentenced to death, he sets out in search of support to the monastery of Bingen. He finds it in a state of great turmoil, as the learned abbess Hildegard has made enemies both inside and outside the monastery walls with her straightforward manner. She ties her assistance to seemingly unattainable conditions, which lead Seyfried to the newly crowned King Frederick I.