The downfall of the aristocratic Miss Julie, a misfit in her society. Miss Julie has power over Jean because she is upper-class. Jean has power over Miss Julie because he is a male and uninhibited by aristocratic values. On a Midsummer Eve night, behavior between Miss Julie and Jean which was previously a flirtatious contest for power rapidly escalates to a love relationship or is it just lust? That is fully consummated. Over the course of the play, Miss Julie and Jean battle for control, which swings back and forth between them until Jean convinces her that the only way to escape her predictions is to kill herself.