Söfren, a recent seminary graduate, and his fiancee Mari make their way on foot through a Norwegian forest to a village where a church is in need of a pastor.

Mari's father won't allow her to marry until Söfren obtains a full-time church assignment.

The first candidate delivers a sermon on the creation story that promptly puts the entire congregation to sleep.

The second candidate is summoned and announces that his sermon topic is "Balaam's ass and God's strange power by which He was able to open the jaws of a dumb animal so that it might speak like a man!"

The committee spokesman then adds that Margarete Pedersdotter, the widow of the previous pastor, has exercised her right to demand that her husband's successor marry her.

After a lengthy period of silence, Margarete approaches Söfren and asks, in that it has grown dark outside, if he would walk with her to the parsonage.

Margarete mentions that it is much too late for Söfren to head back to the inn and suggests he stay in an upstairs room.

The next morning Söfren puts on a fine suit of clothes, far superior to his own garments, that was laid out by his bed during the night.

Margarete is sewing and the table has been set with a fine breakfast of herring, bread and butter, and a canister of schnapps.

Söfren replies that Mari is his sister and asks that she be allowed to stay in the parsonage, to which Margarete assents.

The next morning, Söfren is upset when Margarete's female servant shakes debris from a rug on him from a balcony.

Söfren carried Mari into the house and learns that she has broken a thigh bone and suffered a concussion but will recover.

Söfren finds a note beside the bed: "Do not forget, when my mortal remains are taken away, to put a horseshoe over the door and to strew linseed after me so that I shall not haunt you."

Both exterior and interior shots were filmed at the Garmo Stave Church and the Maihaugen museum.

Full-length intertitles were re-created from an original text-list, with a design based on a handful of surviving flash-titles in the master.

37th Pordenone Silent Film Festival Catalogue: Le Giornate del Cinema Muto XXXVII Edizione