Tancrède sees a Moorish woman by a body of water and falls in love with her. Her name is Clorinda and she is a formidable warrior. He searches for her in every battle, even attempting to protect her, until the day Clorinda changes her armor in order to remain incognito. Tancrède does not recognize her and fatally wounds her, believing he is fighting an unknown male warrior.

Inspired by Torquato Tasso's late 16th-century poem, La Gerusalemme liberata, Amour à mort intersects the genres of madrigal, opera, and interlude. The narrative themes overlap and the orchestra plays a role in the plot. Instrumental works, new compositions by Leonardo García Alarcón, and improvisations echo the emotional universe of the piece, reflecting the poetic expressions of human passions, states of war, calm, and love.