
The play is set in a Greek village whose inhabitants are doomed to idiocy by a curse placed by a count 200 years ago. When a young teacher, Leon, arrives in the village, he falls in love with his employer's daughter, Sophia, and learns the truth. He has only 24 hours to educate her and break the curse, or he too will become an idiot.
Besides its comedic plot, the play serves as an allegory for brainwashing and the influence of power, as well as a hymn to love.








