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Synopsis

Melos, an honorable young man from Messina, travels to Syracuse to purchase a ceremonial sword for his sister’s wedding. In the temple-filled city he forms a friendship with a gifted sculptor. While walking in the palace gardens, Melos is seized by the king’s guards and condemned to die because the monarch, haunted by fears of assassination, suspects him. Desperate to witness his sister’s marriage, Melos begs for three days’ leave to return to Messina on the condition that he will come back to accept the sentence. The skeptical king demands a guarantee: someone must volunteer to take Melos’s place if he fails to return. The sculptor steps forward to serve as that substitute, binding their fates as Melos departs for the celebration.