ACT 1

Prince Albrecht disguises himself as a peasant in order to court Giselle, a beautiful young village girl. Hans, the forester, is also in love with Giselle and dreams about marrying her. He has suspicions about the real descent of Albrecht, and tries to reveal it. Hans, when left alone at the hut, steals Albrecht’s sword with a heraldic on it.

A hunting party stops for refreshments at the house where Giselle and her mother, Berthe live. The party includes the Duke and his beautiful daughter, Bathilde, to whom Albrecht is already engaged. Upon meeting Giselle, Bathilde, unaware that they are in love with the same man, is enchanted by her youthful innocence. They enter into a conversation and Giselle tells the Princess that she is engaged to marry. Bathilde gives her a beautiful necklace and stays at her place to have a rest.

The villagers celebrate the end of the harvest, when Hans reveals the truth about Albrecht and shows his sword to Giselle. She attempts to learn the truth from Albrecht and becomes so distraught that she loses her reason. Uncontrollable and inconsolable Giselle attempts to kill herself with Albrecht's sword. She hears the Willis summoning her, goes mad and dies in her mother's arms.

ACT 2

At midnight, ghostly forms of the Willis – the dead brides – appear among the village graves. They catch sight of Hans, who has come to visit Giselle’s grave. At the command of Myrtha, the Queen of the Willis, they encircle Hans and make him dance until he drops lifeless to the ground.

Albrecht is not able to forget Giselle either, and he comes to her grave. The Willis immediately encircle the young man. Albrecht is now threatened by the same horrifying fate as Hans. But the shadow of Giselle now appears and her eternal and self-sacrificing love protects and saves Albrecht from the anger of the Willis.

The ghostly, white forms of the Willis vanish with the sound of bells at the first rays of sun. Bells are ringing in the distance. Giselle’s ethereal shadow vanishes, too, but she will always stay alive in Albrecht’s memory — the ever-present regret for lost love that is stronger than death.