In the village of Monte Athena in Italy at the turn of the 19th century, necklines are high, parents are rigid, and marriage is seldom a matter of love. Thus, Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander, while her father wants only Demetrius for his son-in-law. Poor Helena burns hot for Demetrius, who avoids her like the plague. Meanwhile, fairy king Oberon is engaged in a battle of wits with his queen, Titania, and has commanded a trick of Puck, which naturally goes horribly wrong. They are all in the enchanted wood on a midsummer's eve, coming out in the end charged with a gift from the fairies--an enchanted eroticism--that sweeps them away to bed chambers and weddings. The film celebrates love's ability to alter reality while quietly acknowledging that any attempt to portray the feeling of love ultimately falls short.