The young girl tell her lover William to marry her or kill her with his sword.

The girl spends three months in the forest with William, but grows tired of the privation and leaves him.

In response, the sister orders her huntsmen to track down and kill the "wild doe".

After evading the huntsman during a long difficult chase, the heartbroken girl finally lies down on two stones in the forest and dies.

William expresses regret that her love for him prompted her to leave her comfortable home.