Like many other serious operas of the Classical period, this one has a story taken from the ancient Greeks. The opera begins with an orchestral mood-piece rather than a formal overture; this flows into the opening scene in which Agamemnon addresses a pitiless command of the goddess Diana. She demands that he sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, as the price for allowing him to continue on to Troy. Torn between his civic duty and love for his daughter, Agamemnon attempts to convince her to leave Aulis by telling her that her love, Achilles, is unfaithful. This ruse fails.

At the planned wedding ceremony, Arcus proclaims the sacrifice, revealing that Agamemnon will perform it. Achilles is determined to save Iphigenia's life, and Agamemnon finally decides in her favor, ordering his wife to take her to Mycenae. But the people demand the sacrifice. Achilles swears to kill Agamemnon rather than permit it.

Iphigenia proudly consents to obey the will of the goddess and sings the aria "Adieu, conservez dans votre âme," often cited as the epitome of an emotionally and formally perfect Classical aria; in it she says goodbye to her people. She is led away, and the people pray to Diana to accept the sacrifice, but Achilles and his troops storm in and begin a battle to rescue her. Then the priest announces that the gods have been appeased, and no sacrifice is necessary. Iphigenia rejoins Achilles, and the people rejoice. In this work Gluck brings to opera a primacy of drama, which unites the opera in a single emotional arc, rather than allowing the form to serve as a mere excuse for florid singing. As such, it inspired Mozart and later composers, especially Richard Wagner. Productions of it are fairly frequent.

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