L'Opera

Plot

The carefree existence of some young bohemian artists in Paris in 1830 is the setting for the various episodes in which the entire work unfolds.

TABLE I
In the attic
The period is Christmas Eve. Marcello (a painter) and Rodolfo (a poet) try to warm themselves in front of a fireplace. Marcello is painting, while Rodolfo uses the pages of one of his poems to rekindle the fire.
The philosopher Colline joins them first and then the musician Schaunard with a basket of food and the news that he has finally earned some coins. The unexpected visit of Benoît (the landlord) dampens the enthusiasm.
With a ruse, the landlord is sent away and the group of friends goes to the Momus café.
Rodolfo falls behind, promising to join them as soon as he finishes writing his article.

Mimi, the young neighbor, knocks on Rodolfo's door to ask him for a courtesy: her light has gone out and she would like a candle to relight it. The girl, however, has a faint: it is the first symptom of consumption.
When he finally prepares to go home, he realizes he has lost the key to his room. Both Rodolfo and Mimì kneel to look for her; in the excitement of the moment, both lights went out.
Rodolfo, wanting to spend more time with Mimi, hides the key he has just found in his pocket. The two converse about their lives as they continue to search for the key in the dark. Mimì tells of living alone and being a flower girl.

The intimacy of the two is interrupted by the cries of Rodolfo's friends, who demand his presence at the cafe; Mimi suggests that he accompany her, so they both go to Momus café

TABLE II
At Momus coffee
The group of friends reunites at the Momus café, where Rodolfo introduces the young Mimì to the others.
Meanwhile, Musetta, an old flame of Marcello's, also arrives, together with the rich and no longer young Alcindoro. She had left Marcello to try new adventures. Musetta does everything to attract Marcello's attention, going so far as to take off a shoe and discover her ankle, with the excuse of a sudden pain in her foot.
Marcello cannot resist her and is therefore reunited with the young woman. The pair of lovers found together with the group of friends, leaves, leaving Alcindoro the shoe and the bill.

TABLE III
The Barrier of Enfer
The month of February has now come and snow covers everything. The two couples of young lovers soon discover that coexistence is impossible. The quarrels between Marcello and Musetta triggered by jealousy are now the norm, as are the misunderstandings between Rodolfo and Mimì. She is blamed for excessive lightness and infidelity.
Rodolfo has sensed her illness, he also understands that living in an attic could worsen her condition.
The memory of the good times spent together, however, prevails, and the two postpone the inevitable farewell to next spring.
Musetta and Marcello separate after yet another quarrel.

TABLE IV
Back to the attic
Marcello and Rodolfo, now separated from Musetta and Mimì, talk about love and the pains it brings with it. The atmosphere becomes more playful as Colline and Schaunard also arrive. The games and the jokes, however, only serve to mask the profound disillusionment that the four really feel.
Musetta comes running and she warns that she has seen Mimi on the stairs, suffering.
Musetta sends Marcello to sell his earrings to buy some medicines for Mimi. She herself sets off in search of a muff to warm Mimi's hands. Colline decides to contribute by selling her beloved coat.
In the attic of their first meeting, Rodolfo and Mimì fondly remember the days of their love. Mimì goes out, softly, surrounded by her friends. Mimi seems to be asleep; the first to notice her death is Schaunard, who confides it to Marcello.
Rodolfo, once he realizes what has happened, embraces her beloved, crying, repeating her name in agony.