The utter chaos of love: in a fit of raging jealousy, Count Belfiore has tried to stab his lover Marchioness Violante to death. He does not know that she survived the attack and is now living under the name of Sandrina as a gardener to the Podestà of Lagonero. He immediately falls in love with the beautiful gardener, while his maid Serpetta has set her cap at him. Behind Serpetta, Sandrina’s cousin Nardo trots disconsolately. A further inhabitant is Cavalier Ramiro: he has lost out in his pursuit of Arminda, the Podestà’s niece, to a count and is now nursing his lovesickness in the countryside. Everything is now ready for Arminda’s wedding; the happy couple arrive – and the groom is Belfiore! When he sees Sandrina he thinks he recognises her as the lady he murdered. The chaos of love ist perfect and drives everyone crazy. Mozart had already developed a distinctive identity for his musical theatre at an early age: in his ninth opera he took the emotional distress of all his characters seriously and set new standards for musical comedy.