On the way to Troy, the Greeks abandoned Philoctetes on the island of Lemnos due to his incurable wound, which filled everything with stench and cries of pain. Years later, a prophecy reveals to them that they can only conquer Troy with Philoctetes and his bow on their side. Thus, a delegation sets out under the leadership of Odysseus to win Philoctetes back - but the mission is at risk of failing. Accompanying the drama is the 52nd speech of Dion Chrysostom, which compares Sophocles' play with the (lost) Philoctetes dramas of Aeschylus and Euripides.