Adam (a shaved and tattooed Ulrich Thomsen), a neo-Nazi, gets off a bus that brought him to the picture perfect countryside vicarage where he has to do community service. Under Ivan's care (Mads Mikkelsen), Adam is asked to set a goal for himself. His sarcastic answer "to bake an apple pie" is taken seriously by the priest who puts him in charge of taking care of the beautiful apple tree shading the vicarage until the fruits have ripened. As the tree is successively attacked by worms, black birds and lightning, Ivan says it is the Devil testing his faith, but for Adam – who cites the Bible’s Book of Job – it is God permitting Satan to put Ivan’s virtue to the test. We find ourselves in a world caught between the real and the surreal, and the sane and the insane, but one in which humour prevails and optimism triumphs.