PROLOGUE. Pegleg (the Devil) emerges from a large black box onstage and presents the characters of the play. Pegleg invites the audience to "come along with the Black Rider," promising "a gay old time." Old Uncle invites them to "step right up," but warns, "The Devil's bargain is always a fool's bargain."
SCENE 1. A room in the forestry. Bertram seeks advice from a portrait of his ancestor, Old Kuno. Bertram's daughter, Käthchen, wants to marry a young bookkeeper, Wilhelm. Bertram objects to the match because Wilhelm is not a competent hunter, which Bertram considers a sign of weakness. Kuno responds with baffling ambiguity, enigmatically repeating the phrase, "Do what thou wilt." As Bertram's frustration mounts, Anne enters, reminding him that they, too, were once young and in love. But Bertram is not convinced; he insists that his daughter must have a husband who can provide for her. Anne defends Käthchen's right to love whom she chooses. Käthchen and Wilhelm enter, and Wilhelm boldly proclaims his love for her. She returns his love, but is concerned about her father's disapproval. Wilhelm worries that Käthchen will not marry him without her father's consent and doubts that his poor hunting abilities will live up to Bertram's standards. Bertram warmly welcomes Robert, Wilhelm's rival for Käthchen's hand and Bertram's favored candidate. Käthchen, who finds Robert a braggart convinced of the value of his own prodigious hunting skills, as well as his irresistible appeal to the ladies repulsive, starts to run off. Robert catches her arm and tries to arouse her with his earthy woodsman's prowess. Käthchen remains unimpressed.
KNEE PLAY. Knee plays" are what director Robert Wilson calls the interludes he sometimes adds between acts to provide an antistructure that questions the main text.) The others exit, leaving Bertram alone to explain the risks of the woodsman's life: There's always a price to be paid for bounty taken from the forest, and the Devil will have his due. Wilhelm, a city boy who does not appreciate the worth of things in the forest, may not be able to "pay" for what he takes.
SCENE 2. The forest The Duke enters with his attendant and Kuno as a young man. The Duke tells a story from Kuno's youth: A man was caught prowling in the forest. He was bound to a stag, which was to drag him until he was dead. The Duke's ancestor, a prince, took pity on the trespasser, offering the forest as a reward to anyone who could "spare the man and hit the deer." Young Kuno took aim and shot the stag, without harming the man. The prince set the man free, but, suspicious of Kuno's skill, declared his achievement "a free shot" and ordered him to prove his skill definitively with another test, by shooting a white dove out of the sky. Kuno again hit his mark and received his prize. Ever since, this test has been the trial all foresters must successfully endure to earn their position. Kuno's triumph, however, left a debt to be paid by the generations that follow.
SCENE 3. A room in the forestry. Käthchen and Wilhelm sing their love to each other. By the end of the song, they are flying through the air. A giant gun appears beside them, and Wilhelm reaches for it.
KNEE PLAY. The gun falls gently to the ground and turns into a tree.
SCENE 4. Another part of the forest. Pegleg enters, leans a gun against the tree, and hides. Wilhelm enters, determined to prove himself as a competent marksman. He discovers the rifle and fumbles with it, entangling himself in its strap. Pegleg emerges, mocking Wilhelm's ineptness with the gun. A shooting gallery of wooden stags appears, which Wilhelm attempts to hit. Observing Wilhelm's pathetic failure, Pegleg offers him magic bullets. Wilhelm accepts them and this time, without even looking, hits every target.
SCENE 5. A room in the forestry. Night. Käthchen awakens from a nightmare of screaming birds to find her room filled with dead game. She comes upon Wilhelm sleeping next to a carcass. She rejoices that he has become a successful hunter, believing that her father will now allow them to marry. Bertram and Anne enter and bless their engagement. At the height of their collective joy, Käthchen is suddenly overcome by fear. She quickly talks herself out of it, however, and Wilhelm goes back to the forest to hunt again.
KNEE PLAY. Pegleg emerges from the dark. He, too, rejoices, knowing that he has also bagged his prey. He settles in to wait for the appropriate moment to collect his prize.
SCENE 6. Another part of the forest. Suspecting that dark powers are behind Wilhelm's success, Robert and the Old Uncle have come to the forest to spy on Wilhelm. Wilhelm enters with his gun. Animals appear; Wilhelm shoots and repeatedly misses. In a panic, Wilhelm wonders why he is suddenly no longer able to hit his mark. Pegleg appears as a huge shadow above the trees, taunting Wilhelm. After a brief chase, Wilhelm gets more bullets from Pegleg and loads his gun. Several animals appear and disappear before Wilhelm has the chance to shoot them. Finally, he fires into the air without aiming. A dead goose - it is Käthchen's falls from above. Wilhelm picks up the lifeless bird and exits.
KNEE PLAY. Robert and the Old Uncle predict Wilhelm's imminent doom.
SCENE 7. A room at the forestry. Early morning. Käthchen wanders about, still troubled by nightmares. A bridesmaid enters with her wedding dress, followed a moment later by Anne. A depressed Wilhelm enters dragging the dead goose, cursing his ill aim. Käthchen screams when she sees the goose. Their future now seems bleak. Robert leads Bertram into the room to show him what Wilhelm has done. The goose transforms into a vulture. Bertram tells Wilhelm that, although he is fond of him, their ways must part; Wilhelm has sold his soul and will have to repay his dire debt. A messenger arrives to announce the impending arrival of the Duke. The Duke has promised that if Wilhelm can shoot a certain wooden bird from a tree, he will win Käthchen's hand. A white veil appears (brought in by an unseen Pegleg); as the bridesmaid places the veil on Käthchen's head, however, it turns black. All are aghast. Wilhelm comforts Käthchen with a wedding song. All leave except Bertram.
KNEE PLAY. Bertram introduces the story of Georg Schmid, who made a deal with the Devil for magic bullets. Georg learned some hard lessons: that the Devil's magic can be addictive, and that some bullets are fated to hit a specific target, no matter where a man aims.
SCENE 8. A crossroads. Georg appears, building a magic circle of skulls and stones. By the time he has completed the task, he has gone completely mad. Wardens appear; they strap him into a straitjacket, place him on a stretcher, and carry him off.
SCENE 9. The forestry at night. Wilhelm tries to sneak out of the house, but he runs into a few obstacles: Bertram, on his way to bed; a sleepwalking Anne; a variety of objects; and finally Wilhelm's Old Uncle, who sternly advises him not to sell his soul. Old Uncle exits and Wilhelm is about to leave when Käthchen approaches. Wilhelm leads her to bed, kisses her goodnight, and exits. Old Kuno's portrait falls off the wall, nearly hitting Käthchen.
KNEE PLAY. Pantomime. Pegleg's double leads Wilhelm's double into the forest.
SCENE 10. Crossroads. Midnight. Wilhelm stands in the center, surrounded by various apparitions who attempt to scare him off. Wilhelm stands strong, however, and calls on Pegleg, demanding one last bullet. Pegleg appears and warns him that his bullets are not free. Pegleg gives Wilhelm seven bullets, saying, "Six are yours, and hit the mark; one is mine, and hits the dark." The seventh bullet is special, but Wilhelm is not to worry: "As Käthchen is your love ... you shall hit the little dove."
KNEE PLAY. Old Uncle tells the story of another Devil's bargain. Playing the parts of Ernest Hemingway, his agent, his wife, a gun dealer, vultures, and William S. Burroughs, Old Uncle dramatizes Hemingway's sellout to Hollywood.
SCENE 11. Pantomime in slow motion. The wedding party enters, all dressed in white. Pegleg enters and points to the wooden dove, sitting in a tree. Pressed by the Duke, Wilhelm prepares to shoot. Käthchen runs about, stricken with fear. The ghost of Old Kuno enters, and Pegleg leaves. Wilhelm aims his gun and fires. Instead of hitting his intended target, however, the bullet follows its own path to Käthchen, who falls to the ground dead. Pegleg returns, picks up Käthchen's corpse, and leaves. The wedding party disperses and Wilhelm is left alone. He breaks down.
KNEE PLAY. Now utterly mad, Wilhelm sings of memories from his past.
SCENE 12. Each character in the play appears and vanishes in a great cacophony of disjointed song, leaving only Pegleg.
EPILOGUE. Pegleg thanks the audience and introduces the band, The Magic Bullets, before singing his good bye with "The Last Rose of Summer."