In which a foreign judge recounts the bitter trials and fleeting hopes of his exiled people amid the tumult of war and shifting loyalties, whilst the ministers and local dignitaries observe with measured sympathy a maiden remarkable for her courage and grace. The young Hermann, caught in the throes of anxious expectation, contemplates with solemn heart the uncertain prospect of union with this steadfast maiden, resolved to learn from her own lips the destiny that awaits them both.