Gellert's play, first performed in 1749, is a prime example of the German sentimental comedy of the Enlightenment period: Because Julchen, out of her love for freedom, is unwilling to give her consent to the wealthy Damis, her selfless, virtuous sister Lottchen devises a scheme to unite the two. Initially, she refuses to acknowledge that her own lover Siegmund proves to be less than virtuous. Includes material on sentimental comedy in the appendix and an afterword.