Leaving behind both home and beloved, a young man travels to Milan to meet his closest friend.

Once there, however, he falls in love with his friend's new sweetheart and resolves to seduce her.

Love-crazed and desperate, he is soon moved to commit cynical acts of betrayal.

And comic scenes involving a servant and his dog enhance the play's exploration of how passion can prove more powerful than even the strongest loyalty owed to a friend.