Act I: The Bailli's house

In July, the bailiff of Wetzlar (bass), widower and father of nine children, had the youngest among them rehearse a Christmas choir, to the great amusement of his friends Schmidt and Johann. The young Werther (tenor), destined for a diplomatic career, is sensitive to the rustic charm of this residence (“O nature”) and especially to that of the eldest daughter of the bailiff, Charlotte (mezzo-soprano). He falls in love seeing her take care of his younger siblings, and desires to be part of this wonderful family. They both leave for the ball, while the bailiff goes to join his friends Johann and Schmidt at the inn, leaving Sophie (soprano), his youngest daughter, the care of watching over her brothers and sisters. Albert (baritone), fiancé of Charlotte, returns unexpectedly from a long trip and is welcomed by Sophie. They talk about the upcoming wedding and look forward to it together. Werther and Charlotte then return under a moonlight delicately entrusted to the orchestra. The young man abandons himself to his passion (“Dream, ecstasy!”) and confesses his love to Charlotte. She is so upset that she forgets her engagement under the blow of her attraction for this extraordinary man. But the bailiff's voice ("Albert is back!") breaks the idyll, to the despair of Werther ("I will die of it, Charlotte!"), who learns that the one he loves has promised his dying mother a to marry Albert.

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Act II: The Lime Trees

In the fall, three months later, Johann and Schmidt, in front of the inn, drink to the health of the pastor who is celebrating his golden wedding at the temple. Among the guests are Albert and Charlotte, married for three months, as well as Werther, who suffers from the loss of Charlotte (“Another is her husband”). At the end of the office, Albert then Sophie ("Du gai soleil") try to console Werther, but the latter refuses the young girl's invitation to dance and assures Albert of his friendship. He tries to talk to Charlotte and talks about their first romantic evening. Charlotte then reminds him of her duties as a married woman and begs him not to see her again for some time while setting up an appointment for Christmas. The idea of suicide comes to the mind of the young man (“When the child returns from a trip”). He announces his final departure to Sophie, who bursts into tears, while Albert, seeing Charlotte's reaction, understands Werther's feelings.

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Act III  : Charlotte and Werther

On the eve of  Noel , Charlotte once again rereads Werther's letters: the orchestra evokes in a very expressive way the various feelings expressed by this correspondence in the "air of letters". The irruption of Sophie only aggravates the sadness of the young woman ("Go! let my tears flow"). Sophie asks her to come and celebrate Christmas with the family in Albert's absence and tries to comfort her. Desperate, Charlotte begins to pray when Werther appears. The memory of Ossian's poems  (“Why wake me up, oh breath of spring!”) and their past happiness revives the passion of the young man, who thinks he sees in Charlotte's attitude the confession of his love, and pushes her to give in to his advances. For a moment, he takes her in his arms, but Charlotte, becoming aware of his gesture, flees. Werther is now determined to end it ("Charlotte dictated my stop"). Albert, on returning home, finds the room empty, then his wife upset. A servant brings a letter from Werther in which the latter announces his departure for a long journey and asks Albert to lend him his pistols. In a cold tone, the husband orders his wife to give the servant the box containing them. Charlotte understanding the situation rushes outside to try to stop fate.

Act IV

The Christmas night

This painting consists solely of a symphonic interlude evoking Christmas Eve.

Werther's Death

Werther lies in his study, mortally wounded, but still alive. Charlotte rushes and for the first time confesses her love to the young man. The emotion of the scene is heightened by the backstage chanting of the bailiff's children (“Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!”), which Werther regards as the sign of divine redemption. In a final sad and serene monologue (“There, at the bottom of the cemetery”), Werther expires while asking Charlotte to weep on his grave.