The Orthodox priest Pankrat, the rector of a poor parish, decides on a trick: having bought an old icon at the bazaar, he buries it in the ground and spreads a rumor about the dream of the pious old woman Domna, in which the icon allegedly appeared to her.In the presence of parishioners, the image is dug up, and like a miraculously found icon, it attracts more and more people, increasing the flock of Pankrat.With the increase in parishioners, the income of the priest Pankrat also grows, which does not go unnoticed by the greedy diocesan authorities: under the guise of a solemn walking of the icon through neighboring villages, it is sent to Moscow.