Lamenting the unwholesome state of human affairs, a pair of adventurers turn their backs on civilization as they know it and unite with the birds to found an idyllic city in the clouds. Among the earliest existing portrayals of a utopian society, this rollicking farce follows the two Athenians into their self-imposed exile as they negotiate with their avian allies to establish a "Cloud-cuckoo-town" between heaven and earth. Satirical targets include Socrates, depicted here as a wily sophist, and the gods themselves, who ultimately capitulate to the utopians' crafty maneuverings.