Prince Tamino is fleeing a giant serpent when he faints. He is saved by three fairies of the Queen of the Night. The Queen shows him a portrait of her daughter Pamina, kidnapped by the wicked Sarastro, and gives him a magic flute. But when Tamino arrives at Sarastro's palace, he discovers things are not what they seem: Sarastro is wise and benevolent; it is the Queen who is cruel and ambitious.

Sarastro proposes that Tamino undergo initiation trials to earn Pamina and wisdom. Pamina, believing she is being rejected, is on the verge of taking her own life. The Queen of the Night orders Pamina herself to kill Sarastro with a dagger — Pamina refuses. Papageno, who has absolutely no intention of being a hero, eventually finds his Papagena.