PLOT

Act I

The Shepherd is brought before King Roger and his retinue during mass in the cathedral of Palermo. Although the archbishop demands that he should be condemned to death for heresy, the King’s Roger wife Roxana persuades the King to spare his life. Roger commands the young man to come to his palace that evening, when he will give the Shepherd a hearing and pass judgement on him.

Act II

Roger and his Arabian councillor, Edrisi, nervously await the arrival of the Shepherd. Roxana sings a seductive song, evidently in response to the visitor’s arrival, which makes Roger increasingly uneasy. The Shepherd is led in and proclaims his faith. Before long the entire court is under his spell and joins in an ecstatic dance. Roger atempts to have the man arrested, but he frees himself effortlessly. The Shepherd leaves the palace at the head of a procession of all the King’s courtiers and Roxana. Only King Roger and Edrisi remain behind. Roger decides to follow the Shepherd, not as a King, but as a pilgrim.

Act III

In an ancient Greek amphitheatre, King Roger and Edrisi find Roxana, who tells her husband that the Shepherd can free him of his fears and his jealousy. A fire is lit and the followers of the Shepherd start another dance, while the Shepherd himself becomes transformed into the god Dionysus. When the dance ends, everyone leaves except King Roger, who has been utterly changed by the experience. Instead of following Dionysus, he sings a joyous hymn to the rising sun.