Act I.—­The scene is laid in Lima, the capital of Peru, some years after the Spanish conquest of America.  When the play opens, Don Gusman, a Spanish grandee, has just succeeded his father, Don Alvarez, in the Governorship of Peru.  The rule of Don Alvarez had been beneficent and just; he had spent his life in endeavouring to soften the cruelty of his countrymen; and his only remaining wish was to see his son carry on the work which he had begun.  Unfortunately, however, Don Gusman’s temperament was the very opposite of his father’s; he was tyrannical, harsh, headstrong, and bigoted.

    L’Americain farouche est un monstre sauvage
    Qui mord en fremissant le frein de l’esclavage ... 
    Tout pouvoir, en un mot, perit par l’indulgence,
    Et la severite produit l’obeissance.

Such were the cruel maxims of his government—­maxims which he was only too ready to put into practice.  It was in vain that Don Alvarez reminded his son that the true Christian returns good for evil, and that, as he epigrammatically put it, ’Le vrai Dieu, mon fils, est un Dieu qui pardonne.’  To enforce his argument, the good old man told the story of how his own life had been spared by a virtuous American, who, as he said, ‘au lieu de me frapper, embrassa mes genoux.’  But Don Gusman remained unmoved by such narratives, though he admitted that there was one consideration which impelled him to adopt a more lenient policy.  He was in love with Alzire, Alzire the young and beautiful daughter of Monteze, who had ruled in Lima before the coming of the Spaniards.  ’Je l’aime, je l’avoue,’ said Gusman to his father, ’et plus que je ne veux.’  With these words, the dominating situation of the play becomes plain to the spectator.  The wicked Spanish Governor is in love with the virtuous American princess.  From such a state of affairs, what interesting and romantic developments may not follow?  Alzire, we are not surprised to learn, still fondly cherished the memory of a Peruvian prince, who had been slain in an attempt to rescue his country from the tyranny of Don Gusman.  Yet, for the sake of Monteze, her ambitious and scheming father, she consented to give her hand to the Governor.  She consented; but, even as she did so, she was still faithful to Zamore.  ‘Sa foi me fut promise,’ she declared to Don Gusman, ’il eut pour moi des charmes.’

    Il m’aima:  son trepas me coute encore des larmes: 
    Vous, loin d’oser ici condamner ma douleur,
    Jugez de ma constance, et connaissez mon coeur.

The ruthless Don did not allow these pathetic considerations to stand in the way of his wishes, and gave orders that the wedding ceremony should be immediately performed.  But, at the very moment of his apparent triumph, the way was being prepared for the overthrow of all his hopes.

Act II.—­It was only natural to expect that a heroine affianced to a villain should turn out to be in love with a hero.  The hero adored by Alzire had, it is true, perished; but then what could be more natural than his resurrection?  The noble Zamore was not dead; he had escaped with his life from the torture-chamber of Don Gusman, had returned to avenge himself, had been immediately apprehended, and was lying imprisoned in the lowest dungeon of the castle, while his beloved princess was celebrating her nuptials with his deadly foe.