The Cantorians speak Latin, and maintain a religious life, in which hierarchy plays a minor role.
At the time of the film's events, the two monasteries have not been on speaking terms for two hundred years, because Auersberg kept the unique manuscript copy of the order's rule, Regula cantorianorum, against the wishes of Montecerboli.
The German community in Brandenburg is facing ruin, the monastery is dilapidated and run down, and the order can't pay the mortgage.
On the death of the last Abbot, Stephen (Traugott Buhre), who had always shielded his monastery from the world, the remaining three monks, following Abbot Stephen's dying behest, abandon their home to join the mother house in Italy, taking the Regula with them.
Brother Arbo (Daniel Brühl), the youngest monk, who has lived in the monastery all his life, falls in love with Chiara, and Brother Tassilo (Matthias Brenner) is drawn to return to his parents' farm, which his widowed mother is now running alone.