Katina, an impoverished Greek woman, tries to arrange the marriage of her shepherd son, Thanos, to Despina, the daughter of a wealthy landowner. But Despina’s father, Vlahopoulos, refuses to give his blessings and wants Despina to marry a wealthier gentleman named Yankos. The wealthy and spoiled Yankos plots to break up the romantic union between any way possible while the young lovers plot to run away in a futile attempt to begin a new life for themselves.