Psyche is the daughter of a queen and king who have two other beautiful daughters but Psyche's beauty is unsurpassed. People even dare to compare her beauty to that of Aphrodite.
Soon enough Psyche's sisters are married but no one dares to ask for Psyche's hand in marriage because she is so gorgeous that people look upon her as a goddess. From Olympus Aphrodite looks upon the whole situation with disdain. Why should a mortal woman be the peer of a goddess?
The parents go to the Oracle of Delphi for counsel. The oracle replies to the parents that Psyche is to sacrificed to a horrible monster. Nothing is to be done, one must follow the advice of an oracle. Psyche is clothed in a wedding gown and brought to the mountain where she is to be sacrificed. They leave Psyche there to sit and dry her tears in her bridal veil all alone.
Suddenly Psyche feels a warm breeze that takes her to a valley of flowers, with a green meadow and a calm spring. Midst it all stands a magnificent castle that no mortal men could have ever built. When she enters the castle, unseen riches appear before her as the most pleasant voice says: "All this is yours, sit down at the table and eat". And then a exquisite banquet appears.
When night comes, Psyche settles in a bed of ivory and the light is blown out. A warm breeze arrives once more and Psyche finds herself in the arms of her lover. She cannot see him, only hear his loving voice and feel his warm embrace. This occurs several time and Psyche is quite content with her situation – being waited on hand and foot during the day and savoring the warm embrace of her lover at night.
The word of Psyche's happiness reaches the ears of her sisters who become very jealous. Even though married to kings, Psyche's sister are not content while their men are old.
Psyche misses the company of her sisters and desires to see them. Her invisible lover warns her. He says that her sisters will try and force Psyche into finding out what her husband looks like thus ruining the marriage. But after crying and pleading, Psyche is allowed to see her sisters.
The sisters arrive to the top of the cliff where Psyche herself has stood on her wedding day. They scream and shout, not knowing how to get to Psyche's home. The warm breeze takes them swiftly the valley where Psyche awaits with goodies and splendor that impresses the sisters and makes them pea-green with envy. Instead of congratulating Psyche on her fortunate marriage that is blessed with wealth as well as love, they sow a seed of doubt in her soul. The sisters convince Psyche that her husband must be a monster since she has not seen him and advice her to check that very night in the light of the oil lamp.
Nighttime comes and her lover is in Psyche's arms again. He asks her whether or not she has promised her sisters anything and when she denies, he says: "It will be the misfortune of all three of us." "Three of us?" Psyche replies and her lover answers:" You are with child. Our child." Psyche is thrilled about the thought of having a baby with the man she loves.
Her lover falls asleep and Psyche ignites the lamp fearing what she might see. Who lies there? A horrible snake? An abomination? No, a young man with milky white skin and dark curly hair. She sees wings, arrows and a bow lie beside the bed. It is the love god Eros himself. Being quite taken with the sight, Psyche drops a drop of hot oil on Eros who awakens. When he sees that she has broken their promise, he puts on his wings and flies away.
Psyche sits on her bed crying realizing how she has fallen for the tricks of her sisters. Psyche gets revenge by seeking the oldest sister and telling her of the whole situation but adds that Eros now wants the sister for wife instead. The older sister consoles her younger but as soon as Psyche is out of the door, the oldest sister rushes to the cliff and thinking that Eros will catch her, she throws herself from it and dies. The middle sister suffers the same fate.
Psyche seeks her beloved everywhere but he is nowhere to be found. She prays at all the temples, asking, begging for the help of the gods. Everyone refuses her because they do not wish to awaken the wrath of Eros' mother Aphrodite who is the one who frames Psyche. Eros has sought the consoling shelter of his mother and knows not of Psyche's desperate search. At last Psyche is forced to confront the goddess herself.
Aphrodite receives her with an ice cold smile and will not help her but puts her to the test. "Let us see if you are a suitable housewife. Sort out these seeds and put them in to order. Psyche then receives a pile of poppy, wheat, peas, beans and many other seeds to separate from each other.
Psyche is devastated and starts crying not knowing how to overcome the task. An ant comes up to her and asks of her troubles. He calls the help of his friends and they sort the out the piles for her. When Aphrodite returns that evening she is extremely vexed with the sight of the piles but hides her disappointment by demanding another task carried out. Psyche is to collect the wool of some golden rams.
The next morning Psyche sets out to collect the wool. The reed-mace warns her of their wildness and recommends her to come to the pond in the afternoon and take the wool that they shed instead. Psyche does as advised and returns with the golden wool.
Aphrodite is still not satisfied and demands water from the spring at the top of a cliff. Psyche starts a long climb and hears whispers that say: "Turn back, turn back" and the sound of a dragon spitting flames. She gets scared and sits down and cries. An eagle sores in the sky, takes her container and fetches water from the spring high above her.
Aphrodite is astonished and then demands Psyche to go to the Underworld and fetch a box of beauty from the goddess Persephone. Psyche realizes the impossible in this request and decides that she might as well end her life since she knows that one can never return from the Underworld. Psyche ascends a tall tower but when she gets ready to jump, the tower says "Don't! I know of a way you can return alive! Descend to Hades at Tainaron in Southern Greece with a cookie in each hand and two coins in your mouth."
"When you arrive at the barge of the ferryman Charon, let him take a coin out of your mouth and you will be sailed to Hades. At the gate give one of the cookies to the guard dog Cerberus. When Persephone invites you to dinner, do not accept anything but a scrap of bread and do not sit at her table but ask to sit on the floor. Ask for the box Aphrodite wants, return the same way you came, give Cerberus the other cookie and Charon the other coin. No matter what you do, do not look into the box."
Psyche does as the tower has said but when she reaches the light of the mortal world, she is tempted by curiosity to look in the box. The box is opened but nothing is to be seen. Out flies the Sleep of Death. Psyche falls asleep and her body stops breathing. Zeus has watched the hardship of Psyche from Olympus and has had enough. Zeus orders Aphrodite to leave poor Psyche alone, fetches Psyche and gives her ambrosia who then becomes immortal. Zeus says to Psyche:" From now on, you are never to leave Eros' side."
