At the beginning of the 16th century, the Christian Martin Luther followed his calling and became an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. However, his life in the monastery confronted him with his fears of a judging God. These were finally taken away from him through the study of his religion, which emphasized a merciful Creator. As a theologian in Wittenberg, he then went public with his 95 theses, which criticized the church's practice of forgiving sins in exchange for money. A momentous dispute began.
Lambert Hamel
as Martin Luther
Herbert Stass
as Vater Luther
Michael Habeck
as Johann Tetzel
Heini Göbel
as Johann von Staupitz
Rolf Illig
as Prior
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer
as Kardinal Cajetan
Wolf-Dietrich Berg
as Sekretär bzw. Päpstlicher Legat
Jörg Pleva
as Kaiser Karl V.
Dieter Pfaff
as Papst Leo X.
Mathias Einert
as Erzbischof Albrecht
Horst Sachtleben
as Professor Karlstadt
Jonas Vischer
as Bruder Gabriel