In this short scene, the audience is introduced to a young man who has just returned from the war in the Middle East. He is the son of the King of Morocco. The young man has come to visit the King in his palace in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, where he is being courted by the King's wife, the Queen's daughter. The King, however, does not recognize the young man and does not speak to him. Instead, he speaks to the young woman, who tells him that the King is in love with her, and that she has joined the war because of her love for him.