Les Amoureux de Dieu plot
In Macedonia, part of the former Yugoslavia, two sheikhs compete for power in a Sufist brotherhood. Both claim to fulfill the most important conditions for leading the community. The one by his direct descent from the previous sheikh who ran the monastery, the other has the means of power transferred from that same ancestor in a dream. The conflict centers on the right to perform the Nevroez ceremony, a worship service in which the dervishes pierce themselves with metal skewers and needles. In this ritual, accompanied by special chants, the participants are in such a trance that they feel no pain and no blood flows. The film follows the two sheikhs in their daily lives and their dealings with the faithful.