He works for Emperor Joseph II in 18th century Austria. He is astounded by the sublime music of a young composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but he is horrified when he learns that Mozart is a crass womanizer. Salieri thinks God is playing a joke on him by making him (a pious man) so bad at composing while Mozart is naturally endowed with talent beyond measure as a composer, and he doesn’t show any humility or thankfulness to God for his gift. As a result of this seeming injustice, Salieri decides to fight against God by destroying Mozart. But he can’t help attending all of his operas and other performances. He appears to be the only one who appreciates Mozart’s greatness, and he wants to keep it that way.