L'étoile

Act I
As he does every year King Ouf I wants to please his people with the spectacle of a public execution. But since nobody has made himself guilty of a crime, Ouf disguises himself and mixes incognito among the people, to provoke someone to insult him.

Prince Hérisson de Porc Épic appears in the company of his wife Aloès, his secretary Tapioca, and the Princess Laoula. The princess is to marry Ouf, but has no idea of this diplomatic coup. From reasons of diplomacy, these four also travel incognito, whereby Hérisson pretends to be Laoula’s husband and Aloès is thus given the license to flirt brazenly with Tapioca, upon whom she has cast her eye. Upon her arrival, Laoula sees the street merchant Lazuli, and the two immediately fall in love. Hérisson, naturally, cannot permit this, since Laoula is to pretending to be his wife. Lazuli is disappointed and angry. He slaps the uppity and provocative Ouf. This pleases the king, for the act makes the young man a candidate for the planned execution. Ouf reveals his true identity, and calls the people together. The preparations are already made for an especially original execution method, when Ouf is stopped by his astrologist Siroco: he warns the king that the stars of Ouf and Lazuli are inseparably linked, and that he will die a day after Lazuli. This also means the death of the astrologist, for the king has stipulated in his will that he would only survive him by a quarter of an hour. The execution is cancelled, and Lazuli is loaded with the greatest of honors.

Act II
Ouf does everything to spoil Lazuli, and makes sure he lives like a prince. He has all women at his feet, but to be truly happy Lazuli needs the woman with whom he has fallen in love. Since he is held as a prisoner, he wants to jump out the window and flee. In order to save their own lives, Ouf and Siroco are barely able to prevent him from doing this.
Lazuli then confesses that the woman of his dreams is already married. But Ouf wants to help him over this hurdle: Hérisson is arrested, and Lazuli and Laoula are allowed to elope. But Ouf does not know that he has now helped his own bride to flee. Hérisson clears up the secret about his bride-to-be, and on his order the fleeing couple are shot at. Laoula survives, but there is no trace of Lazuli. All express their sympathy to Laoula, but nobody can understand why Ouf is so upset about Lazuli’s supposed death.

Act III
Ouf and Siroco fear that only little time remains for them in this earthly existence. At least a proper drink would help. But Lazuli however has survived, and has just fallen in a lake. He first keeps himself hidden. But with Ouf and Siroco, the chartreuse still has no effect. The astrologist cannot convince Ouf to change the will that stipulates that he must follow the king to his grave. Perhaps another glass? Laoula finds her loved one, and they again plan their elopement.
They want to leave Ouf under the impression that Lazuli is dead. In order to at least leave behind one inheritor to the throne, Ouf wants to complete the marriage with Laoula. Then, the supposed last hour strikes for Ouf. But nothing happens: Siroco’s astrological calculations were probably wrong. For this, the astrologist now truly has to lose his life. But suddenly, Lazuli appears, but now threatening to kill himself if he does not get Laoula as his wife. Ouf has no other choice but to grant Laoula and Lazuli their marriage.