There is a masked ball in one of the Italian theatres. Masked crowd welcomes their favourite – the composer Giacomo Puccini, the author of many famous operas. The artist is surrounded not only by ardent fans of his talent – there are also detractors, the so-called musical authorities, theatrical trendsetters, enviers. Among the guests of the festival there is already well known to Italian public singer Solomiya Krushelnytska with her sister Nusya, who recently arrived from Galicia to study singing. Puccini offers the public scenes from his operas, which have already gained recognition. During the duet of Manon Lescaut and Des Grieux Nusya meets her future dance teacher Leonardo. Puccini offers Nosy a debut part in the opera “La Boheme.” Solomiya is happy for her sister. Puccini has completed his next opera “Tosca.” Solomiya is touched by this brilliant masterpiece. Mentally she is travels back to her country.   Nusya takes dance lessons, teacher Leonardo quietly becomes her admirer. His ardent passion echoes in the heart of Nusya. At the music festival Puccini presents in public his new opera “Madame Butterly” with the main heroine Cio-Cio San. Meanwhile the envious are preparing the failure of his play. Unusual music, full of Japanese flavor, inadvertently becomes a fertile ground for the dastardly plans of these retrogrades. The crowd jeered the composer. Embarrassed Puccini can not understand why his play failed.In utter despair, he mentions the talented singer Krushelnytska and decides to make a second attempt of staging the opera with her in the lead role.

Puccini is preparing a new version of his opera with Krushelnytska playing the lead part. In doubt and creative agony is born the confidence in the success of the opera and in the victory over the skeptics. Nusya’s and Leonardo’s romance is developing. Nusya confesses to her sister about the feelings, which torment her soul. Solomiya, whose life creed was only serving the arts, cannot understand her sister, who has also got a wonderful voice and potential prospects as a singer. In a fit of anger she forbids Nusya to meet with Leonardo. She reveals the truth that he has his own family – a wife and children. Nusya hopelessly abandons her singing career and falls into emotional prostration. Solomiya is imbued with her sister’s tragedy. She believes that serving the art is the most important thing in life, but in the soul she agrees that for her sisters Nusya love was the most important thing. Ruthless audience suspiciously awaits the new premier of the opera “Madame Butterfly”. Solomiya plays the part of Cio-Cio San, extremely realistically showing her true character and true love, loyalty and tragic destiny. At the same time, she comprehends the life and fate of her sister Nusya. The identity of Cio-Cio San is close to her. It is the triumph of the composer and singer. The audience congratulates Puccini and like a winner he is taken from the stage on their hands. Solomiya is alone. She recalls her way to art. It was hard to give up personal life, but she is convinced that she did the right things. She understands that the fate of the artist has its laws, and that happiness, which is reached through achieving creative peaks, remains unsurpassed in life.