Dante and Virgil start in the second circle of hell. Here they find Minos sitting examining each lost soul that arrives. He wraps his tail around himself a certain number of times, to indicate which level of hell the sinner belongs. Minos lets them pass, and Dante and Virgil come to a whirlwind of lustfull souls. Virgil recognizes many of the souls including Semiramis, Dido, Cleopatra, Helen, Achilles, Paris, and Tristan.Dante notices Francesca and Paolo.

He calls to them while they are falling to come and tell their sad love story. Francesca tells Dante about her forced, and loveless political marriage to Gianciotto Malatesta, and how she fell in love with his brother Paolo. One day Paolo and Francesca were reading Lancelot. When they read the passage were Lancelot kisses the girl, Paolo kissed Francesca.