200 BC. During a merciless drought, the brute nature of man and the delicate essence of woman become inextricably intertwined, as the omnipotence of the carnal instinct demands the total surrender of the flesh.

Lamonas the shepherd finds a boy sucking milk from the teats of a goat. He calls him Dafnis and takes him as his own child. At the same time, Dryantas, another shepherd, comes across a little girl whom he calls her Chloe.

Daphnis and Chloe is the story of a boy and a girl, each of whom is exposed at birth along with some identifying tokens. A goatherd named Lamon discovers Daphnis, and a shepherd called Dryas finds Chloe. Each decides to raise the child he finds as his own. Daphnis and Chloe grow up together, herding the flocks for their foster parents. They fall in love but, being naive, do not understand what is happening to them.