In order to escape her monotonous, narrow and restrictive daily routine, Senta, the daughter of a rich ship owner, seeks refuge in a kingdom created out of her own fantasies and dreams. In this realm of the imagination, a bold and restless seafarer appears to her - "the Flying Dutchman", whose unbridled thirst for action permitted him to conquer the oceans of the world, but which would finally not allow him to find peace of mind and inner tranquillity.