The ballet opens with Romeo walking through the Square in his usual melancholic manner. As the Square comes to life with the early morning activities, a confrontation breaks out between the Capulets and the Montagues. The Prince of Verona decrees that the fighting must end. The scene moves to the Capulets’ home, where Juliet prepares for a Ball that evening.  Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio arrive at the Ball wearing masks. At the Ball, Romeo and Juliet are brought together by Fate and fall in love. Juliet learns that Romeo is the only son of her family’s greatest enemy, the Montagues.

Later that night, Romeo steals into the Capulet orchard and visits Juliet outside her balcony. They exchange vows of love and plan to marry in secret. However, a series of unfortunate events leads to Romeo killing Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, resulting in his exile. Juliet, desperate to avoid an arranged marriage to Paris, takes a potion to fake her death. Romeo, unaware of the plan, believes she is truly dead and kills himself. When Juliet awakens and finds Romeo dead, she takes her own life. Their deaths finally reconcile their warring families, but it was too late to save the lovers.