Merrie England

The residents of Windsor, led by the May Queen, prepare for the annual May Day celebrations. While the men vie for the May Queen's hand, Long Tom, a royal forester, loves Jill All-Alone, a hermit. Believing Jill bewitched Tom, the May Queen calls for her to be burned, but Sir Walter Raleigh's arrival ahead of Queen Elizabeth's visit calms the mob. Meanwhile, Raleigh’s rival, the Earl of Essex, discovers Raleigh's affair with the Queen’s handmaiden, Bessie Throckmorton, and plans to expose him, leading to Bessie's imprisonment, Raleigh's exile, and Jill's condemnation. Essex, seeking to make amends, enlists Jill, Tom, and the villagers to win the Queen’s favor and secure pardons for Raleigh, Bessie, and Jill in time for a grand May Day wedding.