Interrupted Melody

Early one morning, Marjorie leaves her family's sheep farm in Winchelsea to catch a train to Geelong for an operatic competition. She is driven to prove herself as a singer despite the distance from home. This departure marks the first step of her long, international career.

The next day, Marjorie's father Bill reads in the newspaper that she has won the competition, filling the family with pride and foreshadowing the fame to come. The victory creates new expectations for her future in music. It also intensifies the pull between home life and a growing professional world.

Marjorie arrives in Paris on a music scholarship and begins tutoring with Mme. Cécile Gilly. The Paris training pushes her beyond local stages toward a full professional career. The city becomes a launching pad for her international ambitions.

A telegram from her brother Cyril reports her father's death, plunging Marjorie into grief. Gilly then informs her she has been selected to play Musetta in La bohème in Monte Carlo, giving her a major opportunity despite the sorrow. She resolves to pursue the chance despite the pain at home.

Marjorie makes her Monte Carlo debut as Musetta and receives acclaim for her performance. The success earns her a two-year contract, signaling a rising star on the international stage. The reception cements her status as a promising soprano.

While continuing to ascend professionally, Marjorie meets Dr. Thomas King at a hotel. They celebrate her successes and discuss his plans to return to the United States to work at a children's hospital after completing his Sorbonne research. The encounter plants seeds for a life shared between art and medicine.

Marjorie appoints Cyril as her business manager and becomes acquainted with Comte Claude des Vignaux. These introductions broaden her professional network and hint at the complex world of contracts and patrons surrounding a rising opera star. The balance between artistry and administration begins to take shape.

Leopold Sachse directs Wagner's Götterdämmerung at the Metropolitan Opera, drawing Marjorie to New York for the production. Thomas attends the performance, and they reconnect backstage, though she does not recognize him at first. When recognition comes, he congratulates her and notes his new work in obstetrics.

Marjorie and Thomas marry, but she jeopardizes her Met Opera career by refusing to tour South America. Thomas urges her to tour, yet refuses to accompany her, choosing not to be overshadowed by her spotlight. The arrangement highlights the friction between personal happiness and professional commitments.

During rehearsals for Tristan und Isolde, Marjorie's voice wavers and she collapses. Thomas flies to be with her and learns she has been diagnosed with polio, a diagnosis that reshapes their lives and future plans. The illness forces a painful reassessment of careers and hopes.

Thomas accompanies Marjorie to Florida to recuperate, and she gradually regains strength in her arms and shoulders. A poignant moment occurs when a phonographic record she once sang to is played, and she crawls on the floor to turn it off, symbolizing the stubborn path back to performance.

Over time, Marjorie regains enough stamina to perform again and lands an engagement with the Florida Philharmonic Opera. The company accommodates her disability, allowing her to sing with supportive adaptations while continuing her career.

Thomas's friend Ed Ryson invites Marjorie to sing for soldiers at an army hospital, where she performs 'Over the Rainbow' to lift spirits. She is soon invited to perform for U.S. soldiers overseas, signaling a return to the stage on a broader scale.

Back at the Met, Marjorie returns to Tristan und Isolde on opening night, supported by leg braces hidden beneath her costume. Thomas watches from the stage wing as she powers through the performance. The audience erupts in a thunderous ovation, honoring her resilience and artistry.