Thwarted in his attempted seduction of Donna Anna, the notorious Don Giovanni is challenged to a duel by her father, the Commendatore. The older man is slain and Giovanni escapes. Finding her father’s body, Anna makes her fiancé, Don Ottavio, swear vengeance on the unknown murderer.
Giovanni and his assistant Leporello come upon a young woman in distress. Giovanni approaches her, only to find that it is Donna Elvira, a previously abandoned conquest. She turns on him in a fury, but Leporello distracts her, and Giovanni disappears. Leporello then introduces Elvira to the extensive catalogue of his master’s seductions.
They next encounter the wedding party of young Zerlina and Masetto, and Giovanni invites them all to a party at his mansion. While Leporello distracts Masetto, Giovanni exercises his charms on Zerlina, who is ready to succumb to him when Elvira suddenly arrives and takes her away. Anna and Ottavio enter and, not recognizing Giovanni, ask for his assistance in the search for her father’s killer. Elvira returns and arouses their suspicions by denouncing Giovanni. Anna now realizes that Giovanni was the intruder and reminds Ottavio of his oath. At the party, Giovanni continues his pursuit of Zerlina, while the masked Anna, Elvira, and Ottavio are invited in. Zerlina loudly rebuffs Giovanni’s assault, and during the ensuing confusion he again eludes capture.
Giovanni exchanges clothes with the reluctant Leporello in order to pursue his next conquest, resulting in a series of mistaken identities and narrow escapes. While laughing over his adventures, Giovanni is interrupted by the voice of the Commendatore’s statue, warning him of the terrible consequences of his misdeeds. Giovanni’s insouciant response is to order Leporello to invite the statue to supper, and to Leporello’s horror, it seems to accept.
Later, Giovanni is at supper when Elvira bursts in with a final appeal to mend his ways, which mockingly, he rejects. The next guest to respond is the statue of the Commendatore. This time, Giovanni’s bravado is useless, and he is compelled to meet his fate. When the others arrive, Leporello tells them what has happened, and all proclaim the moral of the story: sinners ultimately get what they deserve.