Act One

A village inn at wake time

Slightly intoxicated shepherd Jirka has no desire to go to work under the hated steward of the local estate. He sings a song about three lost sheep, but then flees from the presence of cheeky Kate who notices him when she arrives at the inn accompanied by her mother, in order to dance.

No one asks her to dance and, greatly vexed, she announces that she would even enter the ring with the devil. An unknown, handsome gamekeeper - the devil Marbuel in disguise - immediately arrives on the scene. He asks the villagers how things are with them and if they are satisfied with the owner of the estate. He is delighted to hear that the steward and the princess greatly harass their underlings: if only the devil would take them! Marbuel sits down next to Kate, has a drink with her, whirls in a wild dance with her and begins to persuade her to leave with him.

In the meantime Jirka has returned. The steward wanted to beat him, but he resisted him and his master drove him away. Marbuel invites Kate to his home in the scarlet splendour. Kate agrees to go with him and they both fall into hell. Kate's mother laments over her daughter's fate. Jirka offers to bring Kate back and disappears underground.

ACT Two

In hell

Devils are drinking, playing cards and raucously celebrating gold and gambling which corrupt human souls. Lucifer, their ruler, appears, full of anger at the noisy behaviour of the hellish crowd, and orders the gate-keeper devil to send Marbuel to him as soon as he returns from the world. Shortly afterwards Marbuel turns up - not with the princess and her steward, but with an angry Kate. She hangs on to him firmly and abuses him for deceiving her. In despair, the devil begs Lucifer to rid him of his unwelcome burden. But even the ruler of hell would have been helpless if brave Jirka had not appeared on the scene. He advises Lucifer to lure Kate away from Marbuel with some gold chains. Marbuel, now free of his burden, is to take Kate back to the world. He asks Jirka to help him and promises him a reward: at the time of the new moon Marbuel will pretend he is going to fetch the steward to whom Lucifer has granted respite to reform. Jirka will play the role of his rescuer and be able to command the steward to give him, for example, a sack of gold in return. At the time of the full moon Marbuel will carry the princess off to hell, but Jirka must not help her, otherwise he will lose his life. The shepherd agrees to Marbuel's proposal. The devils organize a banquet and begin to dance. Jirka catches hold of Kate and dances through the gates of hell with her.

ACT Three

A hall in the castle

Somewhat belatedly, the princess regrets her profligate life. She is now aware that she has fallen into the power of hell because of her sins and, filled with horror, expects a devil to come and fetch her at night. Her chambermaid tries to console her by telling her that Jirka, who, after all, snatched the wicked steward from the claws of a devil, will save her from such a bad fate. The princess has sent for the shepherd early in the morning and now it is sunset and Jirka has still not arrived. Finally he appears, but he refuses to help the cruel princess who has done so much evil. Only after the princess has promised to abolish serfdom and really gives her subjects freedom does Jirka begin to prepare to welcome the devil from hell. He has brought Kate with him and hides her in an adjoining chamber. When Marbuel arrives, the shepherd immediately warns him that Kate is in the castle and that she wants to take vengeance on him for his having duped her: as is usually the case with gifts from hell, the gold chains had changed into dry leaves. When Kate actually appears, Marbuel flees in terror. The princess is saved. She makes Jirka her supreme councillor and gives Kate a house in the town and some money so that she can choose a husband according to her own taste. Everything ends happily and the fairy-tale opera concludes with the rejoicing of the people.