Two children, a boy and a girl, are each abandoned by their parents and left alone on a mountainside. The boy is found and adopted by a goat herder, Lamon who names him "Dafnis". The girl is found and taken in by a shepherd, Dryas who names her "Khloya". They both live in the same village and grow up to be attractive adolescents. One day, Dafnis sees Khloya swimming naked in the sea and becomes physically attracted to her.