Inspired by the true story of Jan Mikolášek, Agnieszka Holland delivers a riveting portrait of one of the most sought-after, but little-known today, unconventional healers in Central Europe. The film tracks the rise of his unusual practice through years spanning two world wars: as Mikolášek' patient roster swiftly expands from local village folk to Nazi officials, and even Czech president Antonín Zápotocký, his personal demons, war trauma and obsessive and possessive traits begin to blur the lines of intuitive curative powers. When opportunistic alliances with politicians prove insufficient to protect him from the dark drift and increased surveillance of the post-Stalin regime, his career declines abruptly. Holland’s unflinching exploration of Mikolášek’s ambiguous moral ground doubles as an illuminating register of the political tumults of a totalitarian state.