Egeon, an old man from Syracuse, is arrested in Ephesus, which is at war with Syracuse. He explains that he and his wife had twins, both called Antipholus. They had twin slaves, both called Dromio. The wife, one son and one slave were separated from the others in a shipwreck. The other son and slave set off to look for them and have now disappeared. Now the old man is searching for his family.
The Duke gives Egeon a day to pay a ransom, or be executed. It turns out that the shipwrecked Antipholus and Dromio have been living in Syracuse, while the other two have arrived there that day. Everyone gets the twins mixed up, with comic results. Finally, as Egeon is led to his execution, both sons appear together, everything is explained, and Egeon is pardoned and freed. The abbess of the convent turns out to be Egeon's wife, Emilia.
—Summary taken from The World of Shakespeare.
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