In this opera, the evil witch Fata Morgana causes the hypochondriac Prince to fall in love with and pursue three oranges and rescue them from the clutches of Chef Creonte. The opera is stuffed with slapstick side-busters but is also filled with acerbic wit and acidic satire. Life is at times treated with indifference as two of the three princesses who emerge from the oranges die immediately of thirst.