The small farming village of Phyle, on the outskirts of Athens, is in the grips of a terrible drought. Clemnon, the grouchiest farmer in town, has control of the only working well in the area, and he wants everyone to know it. Clemnon butts heads with Xanthippe, the strongest-willed woman in town. She decides she will try to appease the gods and make it rain. She sends her slaves off to find a wild goat to sacrifice.
Clemnon has a beautiful daughter he keeps locked away. Myrrhinne is her name and she spends her days daydreaming. Little does she know that a local boy, Xander, son of the wealthiest woman in the area, has been watching her from afar. He finally gets up the courage to speak to her and they hit it off right away. That is just the start of their problems.
Xander is the son of Xanthippe and it quickly becomes clear she would never approve of Clemnon’s daughter. In the meantime, Clemnon finds out that Xander is interested in his daughter and he puts Xander through various awful trials to test him.
While he is doing various odious chores for Clemnon he finds out that Clemnon has fallen down a well. The town gathers around to laugh at Clemnon for falling into his own well and several townspeople, including Xanthippe and her daughter, also fall into the well.
They end up spending the night in the well, an experience that frays everyone’s nerves. The following morning Xanthippe and Clemnon begin fighting over whether Myrrhinne seduced Xander or whether it was Xander who was trying to lead Myrrhinne astray.
Myrrhinne appeals to the gods on Mt. Olympus. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is naturally sympathetic with Myrrhinne’s problem; she pleads with her father, Zeus, to help Myrrhinne. He relents and promises Aphrodite he will do something that will solve all the mortals’ problems.
Meanwhile, back in Phyle, Myrrhinne, in a fit of anger, throws herself into the well but on her way down she turns into a bird. Xander, seeing Myrrhinne’s transformation, also turns into a bird. The two fly away. Clemnon and Xanthippe break down into tears at the loss of their son and daughter. They regret having interfered with this natural relationship. Their tears carry them up out of the well. Their tears also provoke the goddess Aphrodite to intervene and turn Myrrhinne and Xander back into human beings.
Everyone celebrates the return of Myrrhinne and Xander. Clemnon and Xanthippe resolve not to interfere. And suddenly the rains come, breaking the drought. Everything turns out happily... for now.