Lamon, a simple goatherd, is grazing his goats on pastures near the city of Mytilene, when he discovers one of his female goats suckling an abandoned baby boy. The baby is wrapped in a quality cloak and accompanied by a fine dagger and broach, indicating he is from a wealthy background. Lamon takes the baby home to his wife, Myrtale, and they name him Daphnis. Lamon and Myrtale begin raising him as their own—although the she-goat continues to function as a stand-in wet nurse.

Two years later, a neighboring shepherd named Dryas makes a similar discovery. One of Dryas’s ewes repeatedly escapes and when he follows the animal to a sacred grove, he finds the ewe suckling an abandoned baby girl. This child has also been left with tokens of finery, including gold anklets and gilded shoes. Dryas believes the baby is a gift from the gods and takes her home to his wife, Nape, and the couple name her Chloe.

Daphnis and Chloe, the two foundling children, grow up with their adoptive families. When Daphnis is 15 and Chloe 13, their respective adoptive fathers have the same dream: A messenger from the gods commands that Daphnis should be a goatherd and Chloe should be a shepherdess.