The action takes place at Windsor Castle in England in 1536. King Enrico VIII had married his second wife Anna Bolena three years earlier. However, she loved Lord Percy, whom the king had banished from England because of his love for Anna Bolena. Anna Bolena loved jewelry and wealth and married the king. However, King Enrico VIII falls in love with Giovanna Seymour, the lady-in-waiting of Anna Bolena. When Anna hears this, she weeps for her love for Lord Percy. In order to be able to marry Giovanna, the king brings back Lord Percy in order to be able to prove that his wife has an affair with her lover. When Anna sends Percy away, he tries to kill himself, which the page hiding behind the curtain misinterprets and wants to protect the queen. Into this scene comes the king, who now believes he has all the evidence that Anna is cheating on him not only with Percy but also with the page boy, and he has all three arrested. The opera ends unfairly and tragically. While King Enrico marries Giovanna, the condemned are judged by the executioner.