Into the harbor, not far from the capital city of Frattombroza, a galley badly battered by a storm enters under the command of the valiant Venetian Pantalone. On it, Prince Gennaro carries the bride to his brother, King Millon. But not of her own will Armilla, the daughter of the king of Damascus, was there: disguised as a merchant, Gennaro tricked her into a galley, promising to show all sorts of overseas wonders.
Until now, Armilla considered her captor a vile pirate, but now Gennaro can tell her a story justifying his act and a chilling soul.
Earlier, King Millon was vigorous and cheerful, but his main pastime was hunting. Once he shot a black raven, he fell on a marble tomb, stained with blood. At that very moment, the ogre to whom Raven was dedicated appeared before Millon and cursed the killer with a terrible curse: if Millon does not find a beauty that is white as marble, ala like raven blood, and black, like the wing of a dead bird, he is waiting terrible death from longing and torment. From that very day, the king began to languish before his eyes, and Gennaro, moved by brotherly love and compassion, went in search of. After long wanderings, he finally found her, Armilla.
Touched by the story, the princess forgives the kidnapper. She is ready to become Millon's wife, but she only fears the revenge of her father, the almighty sorcerer Norando. And not in vain.
While Gennaro is talking with the princess, Pantalone buys from some hunter a horse and a falcon - so beautiful that the prince immediately offers them a gift to his brother.
When Gennaro retires to the tent to rest from morning worries, two Doves settle over his head, and from their conversation the prince finds out a terrible thing: a falcon, falling into Millon’s hands, will poke his eyes out, a horse, as soon as the king jumps into the saddle, kills the rider, and if he nevertheless, he will marry Armilla, on the first night the dragon will come to the royal chambers and devour the unfortunate spouse; Gennaro, if he does not deliver the promise to Millon or reveals the secret he knows, is destined to turn into a marble statue.
Gennaro jumps up from the bed in horror, and then Norando comes out of the deep of the sea to him. The wizard confirms what the Doves said: one of the brothers — either the king or the prince — will pay with his life for the abduction of Armilla. The ill-fated Gennaro in confusion can not find a place until he comes to mind a seemingly saving thought.
Upon learning of his brother's arrival, the king hurries to the harbor with the whole court. He is struck by the radiant beauty of Armilla, and, lo and behold! from serious illnesses there is not a trace left. Armilla likes Millon's beauty and courtesy, so she is quite willingly ready to become his wife.
Gennaro of great work should not talk about the hellish revenge of Norando, when it comes to the wedding, he asks Millon to wait, but, alas, cannot clearly explain what caused such a strange request. Brother doesn’t really like it.
The time is right to give the king a horse and a falcon, at the sight of which he, as a passionate hunter, experiences genuine delight. But as soon as the bird is in Millon’s hands, Gennaro decapitates her with a knife. When a horse is brought to the amazed monarch, the prince with the same lightning speed cuts the front legs of a noble animal with a sword. Gennaro is trying to justify both wild deeds with an instant blind impulse. But Millon comes up with another explanation - his brother's crazy blind passion for Armilla.
The king is saddened and alarmed that his dear brother is burning with love for the future queen. He shares his grief with Armilla, and she sincerely tries to whitewash Gennaro, claims that the prince’s conscience and feelings are clean, but, unfortunately, he can’t substantiate his words. Then Millon asks Armilla, for the sake of their general calm, to speak with Gennaro as if in private, while he himself hides behind the curtain.
Armilla directly asks the prince what makes him insist on delaying the wedding. But he does not give an answer and only begs the princess not to become Millon's wife. Brother's behavior reinforces the king's suspicion; to all assurances of Gennaro in the purity of his thoughts Millon is deaf.
Not seeing Gennaro among those present at the wedding ceremony in the temple, Millon decides that his brother is preparing a rebellion and orders him to be arrested. Royal servants everywhere are seeking a prince, but they cannot find. Gennaro understands that it is not in his power to prevent marriage, however, he believes, it is still possible for the last time to try to save his brother and himself to stay alive.
Millon before the altar calls Armilla his wife. Both young and guests come out of the temple not joyful, but, on the contrary, frightened and saddened, for the ceremony was accompanied by all the unkind omens you could imagine.
At night, along the underground passage, Gennaro, with a sword in his hands, makes his way to the king’s marriage chamber and stands guard, determined to save his brother from a terrible death in the mouth of the dragon. The monster does not keep itself waiting, and the prince enters into mortal combat with him. But alas! From foot to tail, the dragon is covered with diamond and porphyry scales, against which the sword is powerless.
The prince puts all his strength into the last desperate blow. The monster dissolves in the air, and Gennaro's sword cuts through the door, behind which the young sleep. Millon appears on the threshold and brings down terrible accusations on his brother, and there is nothing to justify himself, since the dragon and the trace have caught a cold. But even out of fear of turning to stone, Gennaro does not dare to reveal to his brother the secret of the curse of Norando.
Gennaro is imprisoned, and some time later he finds out that the royal council sentenced him to death and that a corresponding decree signed by his sibling is already ready. Faithful Pantalone offers Gennaro to escape. The prince rejects his help and asks only at all costs to persuade the king to come to him in prison.
Millon, who by no means with a light heart condemned his brother to death, descends to him in the dungeon. Gennaro again tries to convince the king of his innocence, but he does not want to listen. Then the prince decides that he still does not live in this world, and tells Millon about the terrible curse of the sorcerer.
As soon as the last words are spoken, Gennaro turns into a statue. Millon in complete despair orders to transfer the miraculous statue to the royal chambers. He wants to end his life by tearing at the feet of the one who until recently was his beloved brother.
The Royal Palace is now the darkest and saddest place in the world. Servants for whom life here does not promise more past pleasures and profits run like rats from a ship, hoping to find a place more fun.
Millon weeps at the feet of the petrified Gennaro, cursing himself for suspicion and cruelty, and even more so, a curse from the ruthless Norando. But then, having heard the wailing and curses of the king, the sorcerer appears to him and says that it was not ruthless to him, Norando, but fate that foresaw the killing of Raven and the curse of the Man-Eater, the abduction of Armilla and revenge for him. Norando himself is only an instrument of fate, not imperious to interfere in its destinies.
Unable to change anything, Norando nevertheless opens Millon the only terrible way to revive Gennaro: in order for the statue to become human again, Armilla must die from the dagger. With these words, the sorcerer sticks a dagger at the feet of the statue and disappears. Millon says to Armilla that there is a way to revive Gennaro; yielding to her insistent requests, he finally reports which one. As soon as the king leaves the hall with a statue, Armilla grabs a dagger and pierces his chest with it.
Only the first drops of her blood are poured onto the statue, as it comes to life and comes off the pedestal. Gennaro is alive, but the beautiful Armilla gives up the spirit. Millon in despair tries to stab himself with the same dagger, and only with great difficulty his brother holds him.
Suddenly, in the eyes of inconsolable brothers, as always it is not clear where from, Norando appears. This time he carries the good news: with the death of Armilla, who redeemed the killing of Raven, the terrible and mysterious circle of destinies ended. Now he, Norando, is no longer a blind tool and can use his own powerful spell of his own free will. First of all, of course, he resurrects his daughter.
One can imagine what joy overwhelmed everyone here: Gennaro, Millon and Armilla hugged and burst into tears of happiness. And the case ended, as usual, with a fun and noisy wedding.
