The ship of the Norwegian captain Daland was caught in a storm near by his native harbour. They were forced to drop the anchor in the bay of Sandvik.

Daland lets the sailors have a rest. The helmsman who is bound to be on watch, falls asleep and fails to notice the ship approaching the coast, that is the ship of the Flying Dutchman.

Another seven-year-long hopeless wandering has come to its end and again the Flying Dutchman is trying to find the woman, who would come to his rescue. He has lost all his hope for it and got so tired that his only dream is to obtain eternal rest.

The Flying Dutchman asks Daland to lodge him for a few nights and offers him a generous pay. Daland sees that the Dutchman is very rich and readily agrees to put up the guest. Then the Dutchman discovers that Daland has a daughter and asks him for her hand. Daland agrees, again. Meanwhile the sea has calmed down and both ships can continue their sail.

The girls of the settlement do not stint on entertainments. But Senta, Daland's daughter, shuns them. The girls laugh at her fad, mock at her dreaming of the Flying Dutchman as Senta looks at his portrait too often.

To stop their teasing, Senta sings a ballad telling about the destiny of the phantom seaman. The girls are touched by the ballad, the sad story of a spector, and Senta impulsively swears she would be the woman to save him with her fidelity. At this moment Erik enters and tells her Daland's ship has returned home. The girls hurry to their homes. Erik who loves Senta asks her to stay - he needs to talk to her. He is going to ask Daland for her hand in marriage but before it he wants to know if she loves him too. Senta calms him but then admits that she is preoccupied with the destiny of the depicted sailor much more than with Eric's sufferings.

Trying to warn the girl, Erik tells her a dream, in which he saw her meeting the Dutchman. But from this dream Senta only understands that he is on his way to her and her dream of saving him is going to come true soon. In horror and despair Erik rushes away.

Daland and the Dutchman enter the room where Senta is waiting. Daland introduces them to each other and leaves them alone asking his daughter to be courteous with the stranger.

The Dutchman and Senta look at each other and it doesn't take them long to realize that they are each other's destinies. He tells her there is nothing good in store for her if she marries him, but the girl stands firm and says she will meet the preordained. She says she will be faithful to him.

In delight Daland offers to announce their engagement at the upcoming celebration.

The Norwegian sailors and villagers celebrate their return home while the gloomy Dutchmen are reticent. The villagers' calls to join them are followed by their angry jokes, which results in a quarrel. The Norwegians have to rush away.

Senta enters followed by Erik. He again wants to talk to her, he reminds her that once she pledged her love to him. Their talk is being overheard by the Dutchman. He thinks she has betrayed him and explains that if she had broken her oath given to the God she would have shared his eternal damnation. She has escaped this fate just because the sacred rite of wedding hasn't been performed yet.

In vain does Senta again and again swear that she is faithful to him to death. The Flying Dutchman does not trust her any more. In a fit of despair Senta undermines herself in an explosion.