A mystical drama of passion and fate, set in the half-mythical kingdom of Allemonde during a time of remote antiquity. While hunting, Golaud, grandson of the aged king of Allemonde, discovers a maiden lost in the forest. She refuses to say anything about herself, but Golaud, a widower, persuades her to marry him and return to Allemonde. In the castle, the young woman, Mélisande, meets Golaud's younger half-brother, Pelléas, and they fall in love. They try to avoid each other, but circumstances bring them together. Golaud is jealous and forces his young son, Yniold, to spy on them. Pelléas plans to go away, but, as the lovers are bidding each other farewell in the garden, Golaud comes upon them and kills Pelléas. As Mélisande lays dying in her chamber after giving birth, Golaud begs her forgiveness, which she gives him at the final moment.