FIRST ACT

• Prince Tamino is rescued from a monster by the three ladies of the Queen of the Night, but it is the bird-catcher Papageno who claims the praise.
• As punishment for his lie, the ladies seal his mouth shut.
• They show Tamino a picture of Pamina, the Queen’s daughter, who has been kidnapped by the powerful Sarastro.
• Tamino is immediately enchanted and wants to rescue Pamina.
• The Queen, deeply distressed, promises to give him Pamina as his wife if he succeeds in rescuing her.
• The three ladies give Tamino a magic flute and Papageno a magic glockenspiel. They promise that three boys will accompany them on their journey.
• Tamino and Papageno set off for Sarastro’s palace, where Pamina is being held captive.
• Sarastro’s supervisor Monostatos attacks Pamina, but is driven away by Papageno, who tells Pamina that Tamino is on his way to rescue her.
• The three boys have meanwhile led Tamino to Sarastro’s palace.
• There, an old guard assures him that it is not Sarastro but the Queen of the Night who embodies evil.
• Encouraged by the news that Pamina is alive, Tamino plays his flute.
• Pamina and Papageno hear the music and set off in search of him.
• But Monostatos catches the two and holds them captive.
• Papageno’s glockenspiel comes to their aid – the birdcatcher and Pamina manage to escape.
• Then they encounter Sarastro himself.
• Tamino and Pamina finally meet, but only for a brief moment; Sarastro orders Tamino and Papageno to undergo a series of trials.

SECOND ACT

• Sarastro wants to win Tamino over to his cause and reveals to his companions that he has chosen the prince for a higher destiny in his secret society.
• Papageno does not want to undergo any trials. Only when he is promised a companion who is similar to him does he grudgingly agree.
• The most important trial is to remain silent and have no contact with women.
• The three ladies try to disrupt Tamino and Papageno’s growing loyalty to Sarastro, but both remain steadfast and pass the first test.
• Monostatos tries to approach the sleeping Pamina, but this time he is prevented by the Queen of the Night.
• Seeking revenge, the Queen demands that her daughter kill Sarastro.
• Pamina is torn between loyalty to her mother and her love for Tamino.
• Sarastro recognises her dilemma. He dismisses Monostatos and assures Pamina that he seeks understanding and forgiveness.
• Papageno is visited by an old woman who wants to be his lover. The three boys bring food and drink. Papageno chats, eats, drinks and thus fails this test.
• Pamina finds the two, but believes she has been betrayed when Tamino refuses to speak to her.
• Desperate, she withdraws. However, Tamino has passed this test.
• The old woman reveals herself to be the young Papagena. However, as Papageno has failed the test, she is taken away from him again. Papageno sees no meaning in life anymore.
• The three boys prevent Papageno from killing himself.
• He is reunited with his Papagena forever.
• Pamina also considers suicide, as she believes Tamino has betrayed her. But once again, the three boys intervene and bring her and Tamino together for the final trials.
• Protected by the magic flute, Tamino and Pamina pass the trials of fire and water together.
• The Queen of the Night, her ladies and Monostatos launch a final attack on the palace, but are stopped by Sarastro.
• Tamino and Pamina realise that their experiences and trials have made them adults, and they set off together to start their new life.