Hungary. The beginning of the 16th century. A country at the brink of ruin: its towns and villages have been laid waste, thousands of its inhabitants are killed by Turkish sabers, and tens of thousands are taken captive. And yet the young king, Louis II—weak-willed and gullible—combs the curls of his beloved in the castle of Ofen. He loves her more than the country, royal power, and even life itself. She, the daughter of freedom, born and raised on the steppe, has made the ruler of the state her slave: his scepter has become a spindle, and his royal mantle a carpet with dusky feet. The lovers indulge in tender embraces in tranquil bliss, sleeping and seeing dreams—until the harsh prose of real life cruelly wakes them.