The sun rises on turn-of-the-century Nagasaki, where dashing American naval officer Pinkerton has chosen delicate Cio-Cio-san to be his bride. A naïve young geisha on the verge of womanhood, the clearly smitten and fiercely loyal “Butterfly” dismisses warnings of the lieutenant’s ulterior motives. When betrayal inevitably strikes, and Butterfly must endure both shame and sorrow, she decides to take destiny into her own hands – leading to one of the most devastating and legendary final scenes in all of opera.