The prologue opens with a discussion of society as it exists in Gower's day. He lists the moral failures he sees in the government, the church, and the people of his day. Attempting to point people in a better direction, he sets out to write the eight volume collection which is his response to failure, the Confessio Amantis. Gower opens with a recounting of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue made of both iron and clay. Basically, he posits that the good in society is being corrupted by the evil which hasn't been purged by confession. People are being dishonest about their failures and must be held accountable.
Book one opens with Amans the Lover walking in a forest alone. He's tortured by his deep love with no object. After summoning the aid of Venus and Cupid, he realizes his error when they show up and demand an explanation. When he explains that he feels like dying, he is scoffed at. Venus tells him to confess his sins so that he may have peace. She leaves him in the care of Genius who will listen to Amans' confession.
Genius painstakingly walks Amans through the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lechery (sexual promiscuity and lust). Throughout the confession, Gower includes stories which have previously been told. Genius retells stories from the Bible, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and other ancient and important texts. He's attempting to teach Amans a better path than the one he has previously taken.
By the time he's finished the first six sins, Amans begs Genius for a break. They pause for a discourse upon wisdom. This is Gower's opportunity to discuss the qualities of good leadership, a direct dig against Richard II whom Gower considers an unfit leader. After completing his final confession, Amans is rewarded with the longest lecture in the book when Genius tells the story of Apollonius of Tyre. Finally Venus returns and cleanses him of his unhealthy love. He has been restored.
