Synopsis of the Story

ACT I:

Philadelphia, late 1750s, early morning. Two young officers, Sebastian and Nathaniel, boast about the beauty and virtue of their sweethearts, the sisters Annabella and Mary Ellen. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the famous elder statesman and a friend of the two officers, insists that a woman's constancy is like the Arabian phoenix - everyone says it exists but no one has ever seen it. He proposes a wager of one hundred dollars that if they give him one day, and do everything he asks, he will prove the two sisters are like all other women – subject to temptation and fickle. The two young men willingly agree to Franklin's terms and imagine with pleasure how they will spend their winnings.

Annabella and Mary Ellen gaze blissfully at their miniature portraits of Sebastian and Nathaniel, and imagine happily that they will soon be married. Franklin's plan for the day begins when he arrives with terrible news: the young officers have been called away to their regiment. The two men appear, apparently heartbroken, and they all make elaborate farewells. As the soldiers leave, the two women and Franklin wish them a safe journey. The Doctor is delighted with his plot and feels certain of winning his wager.

As their chamber maid, Eliza complains about how much work she has to do around the house, Annabella and Mary Ellen, upset by the departure of their fiancés, burst in. Annabella vents her feelings, but Eliza's advice is to forget their old lovers with the help of new ones. Men are not to be trusted, she says, and they’re unworthy of a woman's fidelity. Her mistresses resent Eliza's approach to love, and depart in a stew. Franklin arrives to plan the next stage of his wager: he enlists Eliza's help to introduce the girls to two exotic visitors, in fact Sebastian and Nathaniel in disguise, and is relieved when Eliza does not recognize the two men. The sisters are scandalized to discover strange men in their house. The newcomers declare their admiration for the ladies, each wooing the other's girlfriend, according to Franklin's design, but the girls reject them. Mary Ellen likens her constancy to a rock in a storm. The men are confident of winning the bet, but Franklin reminds them that the day is still young. Sebastian reiterates his passion for Annabella, and the two go off to await Franklin's next scheme. Eliza, still unaware of the men's identities, plans the afternoon with the Doctor.

As the sisters lament the absence of their lovers, the two "fur trappers" stagger in, pretending to have poisoned themselves in despair over their rejection. The sisters call for Eliza, who urges them to care for the men while she and Franklin fetch a doctor. Eliza re-enters disguised as a mad scientist and, with Franklin’s special ‘kite and key’ in the thunderstorm, she pretends to electrocute the two dead bodies, restoring life with electric lightning. She then demands that the girls nurse the patients as they recover. The men revive and request the ladies’ affections. As Mary Ellen and Annabella waver under renewed protestations of love, the men begin to worry.

ACT II:

In the afternoon, Eliza lectures her mistresses on their stubbornness and describes how a woman should handle men in this modern age. Annabella is persuaded that there could be no harm in a little flirtation, and surprisingly, Mary Ellen agrees. They decide who will pair off with whom, and fitting perfectly into Franklin's plan, each girl picks the other's original partner.

Franklin has arranged a romantic serenade for the sisters in the garden, and after delivering a short lesson in court ship, he and Eliza leave the four young people together. Nathaniel, now courting Annabella, succeeds in replacing her portrait of Sebastian with a golden heart. Sebastian apparently has less luck with Mary Ellen; but when she is left alone, she guiltily admits he has touched her heart and tempted her affections.

When they compare notes later, Sebastian is certain that they have won the wager. Nathaniel, although pleased at the report of Mary Ellen’s faithfulness to him, is uncertain how to break the news of Annabella's inconstancy to Sebastian. He shows his friend the portrait he took from Annabella and Sebastian is furious. Nathaniel blames it all on women’s weaknesses, but his friend is not comforted. Sebastian asks Dr. Franklin to pay him his half of the winnings, but old Ben reminds him again that the day is not yet over.

Mary Ellen rebukes Annabella for being fickle, but finally admits that in her heart she has succumbed to the stranger as well. Annabella coaxes her to give way completely, saying love is a thief who rewards those who obey him and punishes all others. Left alone, Mary Ellen decides to run away and join their sweethearts at war, but Sebastian, pursuing the wager, tries one last time to seduce her and finally succeeds.

Nathaniel is furious, but Franklin counsels forgiveness: that's the way women are made, he claims, and a man who has been deceived can blame only himself. As night falls, he promises to find a solution to their problems: he plans a double-wedding.

Eliza runs in with a double-wedding plan of her own: the two sisters have agreed to marry the "fur trappers," and she is to find a notary for the ceremony. The scene is set for the marriage, and Franklin arrives with the notary - Eliza in another disguise. As Mary Ellen and Annabella sign the contract, martial strains herald the return of the former lovers' regiment. In panic the two women hide their intended husbands and try to compose themselves for the arrival of Sebastian and Nathaniel. The two apparently joyful soldiers return, but soon become disturbed by the obvious discomfort of the ladies. When they discover the notary the sisters beg the two men to kill them. The men reveal to them the identities of the "fur trappers." Eliza realizes that Franklin had let her in on only half of the charade and tries to escape. The Doctor bids the lovers learn their lessons and, with a hymn to reason and enlightenment, the day comes to a close.