Werther leaves home and settles in a rural village, writing enthusiastic letters to his friend Wilhelm about nature and solitude.

Werther arrives at Lotte's house and sees her for the first time, cutting bread for her siblings in a white dress.

Werther and Lotte waltz together at the country ball, and Werther becomes completely entranced by her grace and spirit.

A thunderstorm ends the ball early; Lotte and Werther find themselves briefly alone, and Werther kisses her hand in emotion.

Albert arrives in Wahlheim; Werther likes him but cannot endure seeing Albert and Lotte together.

Werther and Albert have a lengthy argument about the morality of suicide, with Werther defending it in certain circumstances.

Lotte and Albert send Werther a birthday gift containing a pink ribbon she once wore and a pocket edition of Homer.

Werther accepts a government post arranged by Wilhelm to escape his feelings for Lotte.

Werther has an emotional outburst upon learning that Albert and Lotte have married.

Werther attends a party at Count C.'s house uninvited and is politely but unmistakably asked to leave.

Werther resigns from his government post and eventually returns to Wahlheim.

The farmer lad murders his replacement out of jealousy; Werther attempts to defend him to the authorities and fails.

Lotte tells Werther directly to move on, find someone else to love, and stay away from her until Christmas Eve.

Werther visits Lotte uninvited while Albert is absent; they read Ossian poems together and he attempts to kiss her; she refuses.

Werther shoots himself with Albert's pistols; he dies from his wounds hours later and is buried quickly without religious rites.

Werther, a sensitive young man, arrives in the rural village of Wahlheim and falls instantly in love with Lotte, a woman already engaged to another man named Albert. Despite knowing the relationship is impossible, Werther cannot control his feelings and eventually takes a government post to escape his obsession, only to return to Wahlheim more tormented than before. Back in Wahlheim, his mental state deteriorates as his fixation on Lotte intensifies and he grows increasingly alienated from those around him. The brutal murder committed by a local farmer lad, whom Werther passionately defends and fails to save, marks the final collapse of his emotional stability. Lotte sets firm boundaries and tells Werther to move on, but the confrontation ends with him attempting to kiss her and being permanently rejected. Unable to accept the loss, Werther borrows Albert's pistols and takes his own life, dying hours later and buried without ceremony.

The central story of Werther's obsessive love and tragic end.

Werther discovers a spring near Wahlheim and visits it every day, watching local girls who come to fetch water.

Werther begins sketching the village of Wahlheim, including two young boys he finds sitting under the linden trees.

Werther meets a farmer lad repairing a plow and hears about the young man's devoted love for his widow employer.

Werther and Lotte discover their shared literary tastes during the carriage ride to the ball, delighting Werther deeply.

Werther visits the vicar with Lotte and becomes so overwhelmed during a debate about happiness that he must leave the room.

Unable to visit Lotte in person, Werther sends his servant to her house just to feel some closeness to her.

Werther attempts to paint Lotte's portrait three times and fails every time, settling for a sketched silhouette profile of her.

Werther spends his final evening with Lotte and Albert before leaving Wahlheim; hearing about Lotte's mother's death, he collapses in tears.

Werther befriends Count C. and begins courting Miss von B., a young aristocratic woman who reminds him of Lotte.

Werther visits his hometown after leaving the ambassador's post and finds the changed village deeply disappointing and unfamiliar.

Werther returns to Wahlheim and learns that the younger son of the simple family he once admired has died of disease.

Werther re-encounters the farmer lad, now shunned and unemployed, who confesses to having sexually assaulted the widow he loved.

Lotte shows Werther her canary, which kisses him; even this trivial gesture leaves Werther conflicted and further infatuated with her.

Lotte plays the piano for Werther until he becomes so overwhelmed that he abruptly commands her to stop playing.

Lotte reluctantly hands Albert's pistols to Werther's servant after receiving Werther's written request to borrow them.

Before meeting Lotte, Werther immerses himself in the pastoral life of Wahlheim, finding beauty in simple scenes like a spring, village children, and a devoted farmer lad whose love foreshadows his own future struggles. His courtship of Lotte begins with shared literary conversations and visits to her home, but his inability to moderate his emotions becomes apparent even in small moments. As his feelings grow unmanageable, Werther neglects his art and clings to indirect contact with Lotte, such as sending a servant to her house on days he cannot visit. After a stint at court with an ambassador, he returns to Wahlheim to find the idyllic world he once romanticized has decayed — families broken, relationships destroyed. In the final weeks of his life, even brief and innocent encounters with Lotte leave him destabilized, while his mental unraveling is visible in moments of outburst and disconnection. The pool ends with Lotte reluctantly surrendering Albert's pistols, the final act that seals Werther's fate.

The quieter moments and secondary scenes that shape Werther's world.

The Editor's unsigned preface addresses the reader, framing the story as a collection of authentic documents before the letters begin.

On the way to pick up Lotte for the ball, her aunt warns Werther not to fall in love with her as she is engaged.

During a country dance, another guest mentions the name Albert, and Lotte confirms to Werther that it is her fiancé.

Werther writes a letter directly to Lotte asking her not to dry her letters with sand because he hastily kisses them.

Werther writes to Wilhelm that his once-joyful perception of nature has transformed into seeing it as a destructive force.

Werther confesses to Wilhelm that he sees no end to his misery but the grave, then resolves to leave Wahlheim.

Werther writes directly to Albert congratulating him on his marriage, admitting he had anxiously waited to hear the wedding date.

Miss von B. confronts Werther after the Count's party, berating him for damaging her reputation among the aristocracy.

A prince who has taken a liking to Werther invites him to stay at a hunting lodge, and Werther accepts.

Werther reads a letter Lotte wrote to Albert and imagines it was addressed to him; Lotte notices his reaction and is visibly upset.

Werther orders a new coat and waistcoat made to match exactly what he wore at his first dance with Lotte.

Werther encounters a man named Heinrich by the river, searching for flowers for an imaginary mistress he believes loves him.

Albert reveals to Wilhelm that Heinrich was once Lotte's father's secretary, dismissed from his post for becoming obsessed with Lotte.

During a severe flood in Wahlheim, Werther stands at the river's edge and contemplates throwing himself into the rushing water.

Werther writes a farewell letter to Lotte confessing he had considered killing her, Albert, or himself before choosing his own death.

From the Editor's opening framing of the story as an authentic archive to the small moment when Lotte's fiancé's name is first mentioned at a dance, this pool traces the turning points that redirect Werther's trajectory at every stage. Werther's deepening crisis is marked by his changing relationship with nature, his open contemplation of the grave, and his inability to let go of Lotte even while working at a distant court. His attempt to move on — symbolized by courting Miss von B. — collapses when he is humiliated at a party, and his letter congratulating Albert on the wedding reveals how deeply he remains trapped in his obsession. Back in Wahlheim, Werther's delusions intensify: he imagines Lotte's letter was written for him, obsessively recreates the outfit he wore at their first dance, and finds a mirror of his own madness in a disturbed man named Heinrich who also lost his mind over Lotte. The pool concludes with Werther's farewell letter and his final confession, revealing the full depth of the destructive fantasy that has consumed him.