Byblis loved Caunus deeply, but he was her twin brother.
She realized the inappropriateness of her feelings but, unable to keep her love for Caunus a secret any longer, she sent him a long love letter through a servant, giving examples of other incestuous relationships between the gods.
Disgusted, he ran away.
When she found out that he had fled, she tore her clothes and stripped naked in sorrow and was driven into madness. She followed him through much of Greece and Asia Minor until she finally attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, but is saved by hamadryads, who cause her to fall asleep and transform her into a fellow nymph.