Chu Ma Than is a strong- willed man. He earns his living by gathering firewood while he studies. But he is married to Thiet The, a good-for-nothing, lazy woman. Fed up with her husband’s poverty and serious pursuit of studies, Thiet The leaves Chu Ma Than and takes up a new, luxurious life as a concubine of Tuan Ty.
Tuan Ty, a native of central Vietnam, is a prosperous tax collector mandarin for commercial boats in the north. His first wife, Dao Hue, discovers that her husband is taking a concubine. Dao Hue searches for and finds her husband buying jeweler for Thiet The. A scene of jealousy follows, and Thiet The is forced away. On her way home, Thiet The sees a glorious procession of a new laureate from the court exams and is surprised that the laureate is Chu Ma Than himself. She asks for renewal of their conjugal ties, but Chu Ma Than does not accept her back. Humiliated, Thiet The must leave. Lightening strikes her dead because the gods have no pity on unfaithful women. This play also combines lyricism with drama and many exemplary comic scenes.
