Synopsis
 
Act One
The governor of Boston, Richard (Riccardo), the count of Warwick meets his subjects in his palace. Together with other affairs he checks the list of the guests invited to the ball. He sees Amelia’s name in the list.   Amelia is the wife of his faithful friend and secretary Renato. Richard has been secretly in love with her for a long time.
 
Renato appears.  He wants to warn the count about the possible conspiracy. Richard does not want to find out the names of the traitors and to soil his hands in blood, because he hopes that he is under the patronage of heaven and his people’s love.

The chief judge brings in the verdict to be signed by the count:  the witch woman Ulrica is sentenced to be exiled from the town. Oscar, Richard’s faithful page, sides with Ulrica and tells the count about her amazing ability of foretelling. Richard annuls the order about her eviction, and offers the people around to mask themselves and visit the sorcerer’s house for the sake of amusement.

There is a long queue of all those people who are eager to find out about their future in Ulrica’s hut. There is Richard, disguised as a fisherman, together with his retinue. Among the waiting people there are the count’s enemies as well:  Tom and Samuel. They are waiting for the opportunity for the assassination.

Silvano, a sailor, wants to find out what to expect after his fifteen years devoted work. Ulrica tells him: “Be happy:  you will soon become wealthy due to a promotion”. Richard secretly writes an order about rewarding Silvano and slips it into his pocket unobservantly. The sailor puts his hands into his pockets and is taken aback:  he thinks that his unexpected luck is the result of Ulrica’s talent.

There is a knock at the door:  Amelia came too. She wants to speak to the fortuneteller alone. Ulrica asks everybody to leave the room, but the count remains, he hides himself and listens to Amelia’s imploration:  she wants Ulrica to free her from forbidden love which she feels for Richard. The way out of this situation offered by the fortuneteller is frightful:  Amelia has to go out of town at midnight, to the deserted area lit only buy weak moonlight where people sentenced to death part with their lives. In that very place grows a herb the drops of which can help her, only if she picks them with her own hands. Amelia is filled with trepidation but she’s ready to follow Ulrica’s advice. Richard decides to follow his beloved woman secretly.
 
Outside the people lose their patience, they demand reception from Ulrica with cheerful and mocking exclamations. “Whoever you are your wicked words will turn into tears for you. Who is obscene in the house of the sorceress will expiate his sins with suffering; he who is against his fate will be punished by the very fate”, warned the fortuneteller.

It is Richard’s turn. Ulrica understands easily that she is looking at the hand of a noble man. But she is so terrified by what she sees that refuses to continue fortunetelling. Richard insists on being told the truth. Then Ulrica tells him that soon he will die not in the fight but by the hand of his friend. There is silence in the room. Richard says that it is a foolish joke and demands to be told who will be the killer. “He who will be the next to shake your hand”, says Ulrica. To prove that the fortuneteller is lying Richard extends his hand to the people around, but they do not dare to shake his hand. Then Richard runs to Renato, who has just come, and shakes hands with him. After this everybody is sure that Ulrica is lying, as Renato is the most devoted friend of the count.
 
There is some commotion outside. Silvano recognized Richard and gathered people to greet their magnanimous and gracious governor.
 
 
Act Two
At midnight, out of town, in an uninhabited area, while looking for the magic herb Amelia comes across Richard. The worn-out woman asks her beloved man in tears to leave her alone. The count is not going to leave and Amelia is too exhausted to hide her feelings. At that very time when they are expressing their love to each other Renato appears. The frightened Amelia covers her face with a veil. Renato warns Richard that Samuel and Tom are going to kill him and are coming in this direction.  The count has to leave the place. but before going away he asks his friend to accompany the woman to the entrance of the town but not to try to find out who she is. Renato promises to do so.

The count disappears. On the hill Samuel, Tom and their accomplices, finding out that their victim broke away from them, now pay attention to the mystical woman thinking that she is his sweetheart and try to snatch the veil from her face. Renato has a sword in his hand. It is clear that he will be killed. Amelia, to save him takes off the veil herself. The conspirators venomously laugh at the extremely insulted husband, in whose heart the devotion to Richard is changed by the desire to revenge. That is why he invites Samuel and Tom to his house for the following morning for negotiations and returns to town together with Amelia.
 
Act Three 
Furious Renato has decided to kill his wife. Amelia, obedient to her fate asks her husband to see her son for the last time. Renato agrees. When he is left alone he looks at the portrait of Richard and decides that it is better to kill the count who defiled his dignity and betrayed his friendship.

Samuel and Tom come in. Renato declares that he is ready to join their conspiracy and as a proof of his intention he offers his son as a hostage to the killers. There is one more question to be decided: Who will kill Richard? All three of them have their own reasons for killing the count, therefore they decide to cast lots. Renato takes a vase and puts in it the names of the three pretenders written on slips of paper.
 
 Amelia comes in, she has no idea about casting lots. Renato decides that it must be the sinless hand of Amelia to take a slip of paper out of the vase.
 
 The lot is drawn. It fell to Renato’s lot to commit the murder.
 
Oscar brings the invitation card to the masked ball in the palace. Renato thinks that it is the best chance for the assassination. The three conspirators agree how to recognize each other at the masked ball.
 
Amelia is already aware of their intention and tries to find a way out of the situation.
Meanwhile Richard, tortured both by his conscience and by his love, makes a final decision. Renato and his wife will leave for England, thus he will be away from Amelia forever, but before that he will see his beloved woman for the last time at the masked ball.
 
Oscar, the page, brings him a letter which is not signed:  the count is warned that at the masked ball there will be an attempt to kill him. Richard does not pay any attention to this information, his mind is only engrossed in the desire to see Amelia. The masked ball reaches the point of culmination in the governor’s palace. Renato manages to wheedle out of Oscar the necessary information how to recognize the count and takes him unawares when Richard is talking to Amelia about his love for the last time and at the same time is saying goodbye to her forever. Renato inflicts a mortal wound with a dagger to his former friend and tries to hide, but the guests catch him and take off his mask. The dying Richard asks everybody to free the killer and gives Renato the document of his repatriation to England and convinces him that Amelia is sinless. Renato is shocked, only now he understands what a terrible crime he has committed. The people around pray in vain for the life of their magnanimous ruler. Richard says goodbye to his faithful subjects and dies surrounded by the general grief.