Two monks at the monastery of Andechs experiment with cutting-edge technology, including a method of deflecting the lightning that has previously set the monastery ablaze. When one of the monks disappears and his lab is destroyed, foul play is suspected. Who better to investigate than the famed hangman Jakob Kuisl? But as the hangman and his family attempt to solve the mystery of the missing monk, they must deal with both the mysterious denizens of the monastery and villagers who view the monks' inventions as witchcraft that must be destroyed at all costs.