Kitri and Basilio live in the village of La Mancha and are in love. Kitri’s father Lorenzo would prefer to marry his daughter off to the rich Camacho rather than to the impoverished Basilio. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza arrive in Kitri’s home village on their travels, and Don Quixote imagines that she is his adored beloved Dulcinea. Don Quixote decides to stay in the village to help the girl.
Basilio and Kitri escape to a Gypsy camp, where their pursuers find them. They manage to escape. Meanwhile, Don Quixote, in a confused state, fights against the windmills and sees visions of Dulcinea living in the Kingdom of Dryads.
Lorenzo and Camacho pick up the trail of Kitri and Basilio. They attempt to force Kitri to marry Camatho, but then Basilio stabs himself apparently fatally with a razor. Kitri knows that Basilio is not actually dying and asks Don Quixote to persuade her father to approve of their marriage in the groom’s final moments of life. Once Lorenzo has given his promise, Basilio leaps up and reveals the cunning deception. Kitri and Basilio marry, and Don Quixote has another vision of Dulcinea that guides him to further adventures.
A full synopsis and background information are available in the programme booklet.