The mighty city of Babylon becomes the setting for a transformation of civilisation at the moment when two cultures collide: Whilst the Babylonians are still practicing human sacrifice, the Jews, who have settled here in exile, have already abolished it. The opera follows this conflict through the love of the exile Tammu for the Babylonian Inanna, a priestess in the Temple of Free Love. When the gods unleash chaos in the universe, life on earth also becomes confused, meteorite storms threaten humankind, the Euphrates leaves its bed, and the Flood comes. The priest-king promises that peace and order will be achieved between heaven and earth through a human sacrifice, and the Babylonians carry this out in a frenzied celebration. But Inanna descends into the underworld to bring the sacrificed Tammu back to life and to be reunited with him. In the end, love wins the day and reconciliation between heaven and humankind replaces the old sacrifice. A contractual agreement forms the basis for a new world order, in which we will live today: the 7-day week, based on an orderly cycle of life.

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