of the Sudeten Mountains The Hermit, Wendelin von Grübben, seeks peace of mind through prayer. The sound of trumpets can be heard as war rages in the distance. Wendelin's meditation is interrupted by the appearance of Melchior, an astrologer, and his Swedish female attendant, Ebba. Melchior declares that astrology never lets him down, and surprises Wendelin by claiming to be a descendant of the Grübben family and consequently entitled to marry one Hildegarde von Vliessen, thereby saving the Grübben fortune. He cannot prove that there are no remaining male descendants of the Grübben family, but he claims that astrologically speaking there is no evidence of any living descendants. In order to be left in peace, Wendelin hands over to Melchior the farewell letter that he wrote when initially planning to kill himself and Simplicius. Their exchanges are interrupted by an agitated Simplicius who has seen iron men in the woods and who believes them to be devils. Several soldiers who have lost their way then arrive and assuming the wild and unkempt Simplicius to be a kidnap victim, they separate him from his father and order him to leave the woods. Wendelin remains behind, confused and broken. Act 2 In a camp at Olmütz (Olomouc) While handing out double rations with her daughter Tilly to the troops before battle, Schnapslotte is drawn to an unknown soldier. For the past twenty years, she has suspected in every stranger like Melchior, her long lost husband. Once again she is mistaken. Meanwhile, Simplicius has been taken up by General von Vliessen's entourage. Seemingly incapable of comprehending the finer arts of war, he is constantly rebuked by the Sergeant-major. Tilly takes him under her wing, determined to make a real soldier out of him. With the expected arrival of a Baron von Grübben now imminent, General von Vliessen has summoned his daughter Hildegarde from the convent in Prague where she has spent most of her life. Hildegarde unsuccessfully pleads with her father not to be made to marry a stranger. Arnim, now a student in Prague and in love with Hildegarde, has followed her to the camp where Simplicius takes him to be an enemy. In order to win Hildegarde over Arnim drops his studies and serves under the General. Hildegarde describes a dream in which two men vie for her heart and is rebuked by her father and offered bitter consolation from Schnapslotte.