In the Phoenician city of Sidon, the author meets a young man who tells him an unusual story of his love.

The young man of Tyr, Clitofont, was already preparing to marry Kadligon, the daughter of his father from his second marriage. But from the city of Byzantium his uncle Sostratus sailed. And Klitofont falls in love with his daughter - the beautiful Leucippus. This feeling soon becomes mutual.

Klinius, a cousin of Clitofont, is in love with the handsome boy Harikl and gives him a magnificent horse. But the first horse ride ends in tragedy: a horse frightened by something suddenly carried it and turned off the road into the forest. Lost power over the horse Harikle dies, thrown from the saddle. The woe of Klinius and the parents of Harikl infinitely ...

The storyline of the novel is continually interrupted (or rather, decorated) with beautiful illustrations-inserts - ancient Greek myths about love adventures, passions and sufferings of gods and people, animals, birds and even plants, true to each other in their mutual affection. It turns out that this is even characteristic of rivers!

Alpheus flows near the famous Olympia: “The sea combines marriage and Alpheus, escorting him to Arethusa. "During the Olympic festivals, people gather for the stream and throw various gifts into it, but it swiftly rushes with them directly to his beloved and hurries to give her wedding gifts."

Mother Leucippus is already beginning to suspect something and poses all sorts of obstacles to dating lovers. Of course, Clitofont's father would not approve of this either (he has completely different plans and hopes). But the mutual feeling flares up more and more, and the young lovers decide to flee their hometown. They also have like-minded friends.

“There were six of us: Leucippus, Satyr, I, Klienius, and two of his slaves. We drove along the Sidon Road and arrived in Sidon at dawn; without stopping, we moved to Beirut, hoping to find an anchored ship there. And really! In Beirut, we found a ship that was about to be anchored. We did not even ask where he was sailing, but we immediately got over to him. It began to grow light when we were ready to sail to Alexandria, the great city on the Nile. ”

On the way, young people talk about the oddities of love and everyone ardently defends their beliefs, relying on personal experience and legends equally.

But the voyage was not successful: a terrible storm was rising, the ship was starting to sink with dozens of passengers and sailors. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that the lifeboat is all alone ...

By some miracle clinging to the wreckage of a dying ship, Leucippus and Clitofont are still saving: the wave carries them ashore near the Egyptian city of Pelusius at the eastern arm of the Nile: “Happy, we entered the earth, giving praise to the immortal gods. But they did not forget to mourn Clinius and Satyr, since they considered them dead. ” The author describes in detail the streets, temples and, most importantly - paintings and sculptures - the art sights of the cities where his heroes visited. So, on the wall of the temple in Pelusia, the artist Evantei portrayed Andromeda and Perseus with the head of Medusa the Gorgon and the torment of Prometheus chained to the rock: the eagle pecks his liver, the titan’s torment is portrayed so realistically that the audience is also imbued with these sufferings. But “Hercules gives hope to the sufferer. He stands and takes aim from a bow at the Promethean executioner. Having adjusted the arrow to the bowstring, he forcefully directs his weapon forward, pulling it to the chest with his right hand, the muscles of which are tensed in an effort to pull the elastic bowstring. Everything in it bends, united by a common goal: bow, bowstring, right hand, arrow. ”

From Pelusius, our heroes sail down the Nile to Alexandria. But fate prepared them a new test: they are captured by the robbers, and Leucippus is torn from Clitofont - they are going to bring the girl to the local god as an atoning sacrifice.

But then the bandits take flight in the most opportune time for an armed detachment to come in time: some of the captives (among them Clitofont) are freed. Leucippus remained in the hands of the robbers.

The strategist, appreciating the high art of Clitofont, even invites him to dinner. From the hill where they are located, terrible preparations are visible in the camp of bandits: Aevkippu in sacred robes leads to the altar, and a terrible slaughter is performed in front of the numbed spectators. Then the girl is put in a coffin and the villains leave the altar.

Under the cover of night darkness, the grief-stricken Clitofont makes his way to the expensive coffin and wants to commit suicide right there, next to his lifeless beloved. But at the very last moment he was stopped in time by the ripening friends Satyr and Menelaus (with the last they became friends during a tragic voyage). It turns out that they, too, were saved during the shipwreck and ... were captured all the same robbers. Those to test the reliability of the young men, instruct them to do the terrible: sacrifice Leucippus. And they are resolved, hoping for a good fate. However, it is not without reason.

It turns out that they have a fake sword, the blade of which, when pressed lightly, goes into the hilt. With this theatrical weapon, friends also “sacrifice” to Leucippus, who had previously been drugged by a sleepy potion.

So, the lid of the tomb was opened, and Leucippus rose from it. She rushed to me, we wrapped each other in our arms and collapsed to the ground without feelings. "

Happy friends together again. They are in the army of a strategist who is waiting for reinforcements to finally deal with the bandits.

Young people see each other regularly, but their relationship is still purely platonic. Levkippe appeared in a dream Artemis and said: “I will be your intercessor. You will remain virgin until I arrange your marriage and your husband will be none other than Clitophone. ”

Meanwhile, strategist Harmid falls in love with Leucippus. But with all sorts of tricks and excuses, she succeeds in avoiding his courtship and, especially, rapprochement with the ardent warrior.

And suddenly Leucippus becomes insane. She rushes in fury at all, and her speech is incoherent. It soon turns out that Levkilpu was drunk with a terrible potion. This was done according to the plan of a warrior who fell in love with her (again a warrior!) - Foros of Herea. He then acts as a “savior” and, giving the girl an antidote and returning her memory, he then invites Leucippus and Clitofont to his place on Foros. And there during the feast robbers, friends of Herea, kidnap Leucippus.

A sea chase begins, in which the ship of the city authorities takes part on the side of the victims. The kidnappers are about to be overtaken!

And here, in front of the persecutors, the robbers take Leucippus to the deck and cut off her head, and the headless body is thrown into the waves. Confusion and horror on the ships catching up! Meanwhile, the pirates manage to escape.

"... for a long time I mourned the death of my beloved, then I put her body to burial and returned to Alexandria."

Six months passed, and grief gradually began to dull: time, as you know, the best doctor.

And suddenly Kline appeared! It turns out that he was then picked up by a passing ship and delivered right to Sidon. He said that Sostratus, the father of Leucippus, had already agreed to marry his daughter for Clitofont. But alas, it's too late ...

Having learned that the young man is in Alexandria, his father is going to come there. However, the events are again "dictated by Aphrodite." The noble and very effective Ephesian matron Melita passionately falls in love with Clitofont. Her husband died during a shipwreck. And Melita hopes that not only her beauty, but also the similarity of misfortunes will allow her to get closer to the inconsolable groom Leucippus. However, Clitofont is still heartbroken, despite the time and efforts of friends, and he responds very restrained to Melita’s caresses. The matron literally burns with passion, and the young man, under various pretexts, refuses to become her husband and, in this capacity, to divide the box: everything is limited to “permitted caresses”.

And suddenly the capricious fate presents the heroes of the novel with a new surprise: it turns out that Leucippus ... is alive! On that terrible day of the sea chase, the pirates, as it turned out only now, decapitated another woman, specially dressed in Leucippus's tunic, and her body was thrown into the sea, prudently hiding her head.

The robbers sold Leucippus profitably into slavery, and she ended up in ... the estate of Melita (but under the name Lacena). And the unfortunate lovers met again. Although it is not yet possible to be together.

Suddenly, Melita's husband, Fersander, returns. It turns out that he also did not die: and he was not destined to drown in the depths of the sea. And Fersander, naturally, was furious and offended by the presence in his house of a young and beautiful Tyrian.

Melita's assurances that their relationship is noble and purely friendly, do not inspire confidence and are rejected with anger. Clitophone thrown into prison. The most unbelievable charges were brought against him (including willow murder), and a harsh trial is being prepared.

Fersander so far sent to friends. And the insidious manager - the overseer of the slaves on the estate - shows him Leucippus, and the offended husband immediately falls in love with her.

Meanwhile, the court, under the pressure of Fersandra and his supporters, sentenced Klitofont to death. But this was preceded by events without which a similar novel is impossible.

Upon learning that Leucippus is her slave of Lacan, Melita is initially terribly upset, but then, subdued by Clitofont's loyalty and touched by the endless suffering of the lovers, she tries to organize their escape. Melita gives Clitofont his clothes, and he, unrecognized, leaves her house. But - another failure: on the way he is seized and exposed (both literally and figuratively).

And at Ephesus, at that time, Sostratus, the father of Leucippus, arrives at Ephesus. And only by chance prevents them from meeting on the first day in the temple of Artemis, whose protection the exhausted girl hopes to protect.

Overcoming all obstacles, despite many false accusations, Leucippus proves his innocence. In the cave of the forest god Pan, the syringa sounds wonderful in her honor - the seven-barreled reed flute, which testifies to the integrity of the girl. The nobility of the unfortunate Melita is just as convincingly confirmed. The people, and then the court, take the side of lovers. And the shamed Fersander flees the city.

Clitophone together with his uncle (Sostratus finally embraced his newfound daughter!) And his beloved, having undergone so many adventures and trials, returned to Byzantium - his hometown. There they played the long-awaited wedding.