At the World Livestock Auctioneer Championships in New Holland, Pennsylvania, contestants test their verbal skills and speed. Beyond the competition and an interview with the winner, Herzog also touches on the Amish population located in the area.

Herzog’s keen eye for quotidian absurdities finds a compelling subject in a cattle auctioneer competition where verbal speed gains a strange symphonic quality. This “poetry of capitalism,” as the German auteur describes it, contrasts sharply with the modest lifestyle of the local Amish population.