The story opens with a description of a dark, deadly, deserted forest inhabited by serpents, basilisks, hyenas, and tigers in the kingdom of Albania. The moans and tortured cries of a forsaken man filled the terrible quiet of the air deep in the heart of the depressing jungle, where the tangled growth of vines and thickets interlaced and the huge canopy of heavy foliaged trees formed a roof over the dismal jungle clearing. The man is clinging to a tree, barely alive. Florante is Duke Briseo's and Princess Floresca's son. His hair is blonde, his complexion is fair and flawless, and his face and body are similar to those of Narcissus and Adonis.