'The ceremony goes ahead but Betram leaves immediately for the Italian wars, vowing that he will not accept Helena as his wife until she has conceived his child and obtained from him a ring...'

All's Well That Ends Well
Helena, the orphaned daughter of a physician, has been adopted by the Countess of Rossillion and is secretly in love with the Countess' son, Bertram. He is to leave Rossillion for the French court, where the King is gravely ill. Wishing to follow him, Helena journeys to Paris to cure the King of his mysterious illness with one of her father's old remedies.

The King recovers and grants her as reward the choice of a husband from all the Lords at court. She asks for Bertram, who is outraged at being commanded to marry beneath him. The ceremony goes ahead but Bertram leaves immediately for the Italian wars, vowing that he will not accept Helena as his wife until she has conceived his child and obtained from him a ring - two seemingly impossible conditions...