In the 19th century, Ricardo rides from Boston to California to claim what he believes is his late father’s innkeeper post. He soon discovers the inn is only a front for his father’s criminal persona, “The Kissing Bandit,” a robber who stole from women and kissed them before fleeing, and that he is expected to continue this infamous legacy. His father’s former sidekick, Chico, steps in to guide him toward becoming the new Kissing Bandit.
Teresa is the local governor’s daughter, a young woman finishing school and dreaming of romance. As she’s escorted back to the governor’s residence, the duo rob her carriage. After a mishap in which he falls off a cliff, Ricardo meets Teresa and instantly falls in love, though he is too frightened to kiss her. She later reflects on that moment, blaming herself, while Ricardo also wonders why he lacks courage. Tomorrow Means Romance
Ricardo rides to the governor’s mansion and sings If I Steal a Kiss beneath Teresa’s balcony. The guards intercept and open fire, but the sidekick arrives to save him. He tells Ricardo that romantic commitment cannot be part of a bandit’s life and then arranges for Bianca to seduce him. Bianca performs a dance with a bullwhip (I Like You) and invites a kiss, but he nervously rebuffs her, saying that he has to “put a flower in some water.”
Count Ricardo Belmonte arrives at the inn accompanied by General Felipe Toro, who is sick and sneezing. Belmonte catches Ricardo and Chico attempting to plunder his luggage, and a swordfight ensues that ends with Belmonte and Toro tied up. Colonel Gomez arrives, searching for the Kissing Bandit, but returns home to the governor when told Belmonte and Torro are staying at the inn and are “all tied up.” Ricardo finds a letter of introduction to the King in Belmonte’s luggage and decides that he and Chico will visit the governor’s mansion posing as Belmonte and Torro.
The ruse works, and they are welcomed to the governor’s mansion. When Teresa is introduced to Ricardo, she recognizes him but does not say anything. In a private moment, she confronts him about why he did not kiss her earlier. The sidekick is planning to raid the governor’s stockpile of taxes and gives Ricardo a pep talk about women when he realizes the Kissing Bandit’s reputation could suffer otherwise. During a siesta, Ricardo attempts to shoo a fly. What’s Wrong with Me?
At a fiesta in their honor, Ricardo recalls that his father abducted his mother, which inspires him to abduct Teresa to prove his sincerity, much to her delight (What’s Wrong with Me? (Reprise)). A social dance is held in the courtyard (Dance of Fury), and while the crowd is distracted (Señorita), the sidekick attempts to raid the governor’s riches. Ricardo longs to marry Teresa, but the sidekick tells him, “This is not a book, Ricardo mio. This is not a dream you are dreaming. This is a bandit's life. Hard. Sometimes very short.” He reluctantly accepts that marriage may be impossible until he spots Teresa again and asks to dance with her just once. Love is Where You Find It
The real Belmonte and Torro arrive and identify Ricardo and Chico, who are immediately arrested and slated to be executed at dawn. Gomez visits them in jail, and they manage to confuse him enough to imprison Gomez in their cell in return. Belmonte also tries to seduce Teresa but is interrupted by Ricardo, who fights and defeats him. Fed up, Ricardo decides to return to Boston and relinquish his title as the Kissing Bandit, until Teresa, standing outside under his balcony, tells him that she knows he wasn’t a true bandit and that he never inherited anything. He kisses her, and she faints, implying that he is the Kissing Bandit after all. > "This is not a book, Ricardo mio. This is not a dream you are dreaming. This is a bandit's life. Hard. Sometimes very short."
