In 18th century Vienna, MARIE THERESE, known in the opera world as Die Marschalin, has a burning love affair with the 17-year-old Count Octavian. Fearing that the difference in their ages will eventually cause him to leave her,(she is 31) she sends him away. He meets and falls in love with Sophie, also 17. Die Marschalin's intervention makes it possibile for the two young lovers to marry.
The play, MARIE THERESE, takes place ten years later. Octavian has, all this while, had an unquenchable love for the sophisticated and wise MARIE THERESE. He wants to become her lover once again. She is tempted, but the memory of their former love is now in conflict with surprising and overwhelming new developments.