The Princess of Babylon

The sun blazes down on Baylone. It has dried up the surrounding rivers. A mysterious knight accompanied by a phoenix comes along. As he enters the town, the unicorn’s hooves echo through the silent streets. Everyone is preparing for the battle to win the hand of King Bélus’s only daughter. Her name is Formosante and she’s preparing to fulfill her duty. But, once she has laid her eyes upon the phoenix, her destiny has already changed. From the first page of Voltaire's philosophical tale, written in 1768.