After a successful campaign, a group of soldiers visits the home of a prominent politician, Leonato, for a period of relaxation and celebration. Among the visitors are the charming Prince, Don Pedro; his sly brother, Don John; the young soldier, Claudio; and the witty gentleman, Benedick. At Leonato's estate, the young and dashing Claudio falls in love with Hero, the host's daughter. With the help of Don Pedro, Claudio successfully woos Hero, and a wedding is quickly planned. Meanwhile, the sharp-tongued Benedick engages in a merry war of words with Beatrice, Leonato's niece, and both swear off the foolishness of love.

While preparations for the wedding are underway, Don John, the resentful villain of the piece, devises a scheme to disrupt the happiness of the other characters. His plan is to create a misunderstanding that will lead to the dishonor of Hero and the cancellation of her wedding with Claudio. In a parallel trick, Don Pedro and others arrange a harmless ruse aimed at making the obstinately single Benedick and the fiercely independent Beatrice realize that they are, in fact, deeply in love with each other. These plots of deception—both malicious and benign—ensnare all the characters in a lively and complex dance of misunderstandings and mistaken identities.