 Aurelia, Eugenia's aunt and Lattanzio's wife, pretends to be a countess, and in the "happy deception" of the title, deceives the Colonel into believing she loves him, and in so doing persuades him to accept the union of the two young people.When he finds out that he has been tricked, the Colonel reacts angrily before agreeing to their wedding, and all ends happily.A recording of the opera made during its performances at the Festival dalla Valle d'Istria was released by Dynamic in 1999.