The theme of the work is a marriage that leads to death through betrayed love. The story unfolds dramatically in three simple phases: engagement, marriage, death. Each of them constitutes a theatrical act.

The mother of the groom and the father of the bride arrange the engagement of their children. However, a cloud threatens from the very beginning the joy of the marriage that will follow. The bride is still in love with Leonardo, a married man and father of a child, who lives in the same area as his wife and mother-in-law.

The family of the rival is separated by blood from the family of the groom. On the morning of the wedding, Leonardo visits the bride. She rejects his proposals, but as soon as the wedding ceremony is over, she succumbs to her passion. She leaves with Leonardo. The groom, with the insult in his heart, takes the path into the woods, where the couple is hiding.

The scenic allegories of death and the moon, as well as the tragic dance of the woodcutters, prepare the atmosphere of blood.