In order to escape from her petty bourgeois and mediocre environment, Senta, the daughter of the merchant Daland, has sought refuge in an imaginary world of passion. She dreams of the boundless freedom of the sea. Even as a child she would ask her nanny Mary to sing her the old ballad of The Flying Dutchman and since then the legend has gradually taken possession of her. She is haunted by the desire to free the poor sailor from his curse. An old picture of a strange pale-faced man becomes a relic for her as she cuts herself off more and more from the outside world.
A sudden storm blows Daland’s boat off course shortly before he reaches harbour. It is only thanks to a supreme effort that the crew are able to save the boat and its cargo. Extenuated, they all fall asleep. The steersman, whose turn it is to keep watch, tries to keep himself awake by singing, but he is soon won over by fatigue.
An unknown ship appears and a strange pale-faced man suddenly appears among the sleeping men. In an agonising monologue he blames his destiny: an ancient curse forces him to wander endlessly over the seas; he can only land once every seven years to search for “a heavenly angel”, that is to say, a woman who will swear him the eternal fidelity that will save him. When Daland awakes the stranger introduces himself as a rich Dutch seacaptain. Daland immediately anticipates the possibility of doing lucrative business with him. When the stranger confides that he is looking for a loving woman he promises him the hand of his daughter, Senta. The advent of a favourable wind allows the crew to resume their voyage. In Daland’s house the sailors’ wives work and sing as they await their husbands’ return. Little by little they make fun of Senta with their singing. Mary, who is more and more worried that Senta is losing touch with reality, desperately tries to snatch the accursed picture from her, but the latter insists on her nanny singing the ballad of the Flying Dutchman for the women. Horrified, Mary refuses and Senta decides to sing herself. She appears to be more and more possessed by her song and finally collapses. The other women look on, shocked and surprised. Meanwhile, Mary has been to look for Erik who loves Senta and is himself a lonely marginal. He informs the women that Daland’s boat is back at last. Remaining alone with Senta, he anxiously recounts his dream of the previous night in which he saw Senta fleeing across the sea with a pale-faced mariner. The young woman sees this as a clear sign that it is her destiny to save the sad Dutchman. Erik runs off in despair.
Suddenly the door opens and the stranger’s shadow appears on the threshold. Her father has scarcely left the two together before Senta swears eternal and unconditional fidelity to the Dutchman. Daland will celebrate their engagement that very day.
The sailors are joyfully celebrating their return home. Ever more provocative and mocking, they invite the crew of the unknown ship, who appear to be asleep, to come and drink with them. When the latter reply with ghostly laughter, everybody runs away terrified. Erik bombards Senta with bitter and desperate reproaches that she is hard put to deny. The Dutchman overhears their conversation and in turn believes he has been betrayed. Once again his hope for Redemption seems to be lost. He bitterly reveals his secret to all and hurries to his boat in order to take to sea.