Madame Butterfly

Cho-Cho San bids farewell to her mother and grandfather as she begins geisha training at Goro's Tea House. The move is meant to support her family, but it also marks the start of a life governed by tradition and demand. The scene establishes the pressure Cho-Cho San faces between duty and personal longing.

On board the American ship, Pinkerton and Barton plan to ignore official parties and have their own escapade. They attend the geisha performances at Goro's and Pinkerton is immediately drawn to Cho-Cho San when he sees her practicing her dance. He becomes entranced, sensing a personal connection beyond business.

Yamadori is introduced as a prospective husband and brings news of the betrothal. Goro explains that Cho-Cho San is high-born and not yet used to the geisha life, provoking Yamadori's expectations. The clash foreshadows the strife to come over tradition and desire.

Pinkerton learns from Barton that marriage to a Japanese woman can be treated as a formality if a husband deserts. He decides to marry Cho-Cho San and asks Goro to arrange it. He informs Goro of his intention, setting in motion the wedding.

Relatives gather for the wedding, which unfolds as a tea ceremony. Cho-Cho San prays at her ancestral altar as Pinkerton is proclaimed her husband. Pinkerton brings a veil, and the ceremony seals their union.

After the wedding, Pinkerton teaches Cho-Cho San how to be affectionate, including a kiss. She discovers a photograph of Adelaide in his trunk and confronts him, who denies loving the other woman. The home altar later bears a portrait of Pinkerton, signifying their bond.

Several weeks pass and Pinkerton reveals he will leave the next day, confessing his intention to return in spring. Cho-Cho San greets him with a ceremonial respect while he hints at an eventual departure. Baron's presence helps maintain appearances as their uncertain future looms.

Spring arrives and Cho-Cho San proudly displays her infant son, whom she calls Trouble for now. The robin nesting motif echoes her hopeful longing for Pinkerton's return. She remains hopeful as she tends to her husband, child, and the home that centers on loyalty to Pinkerton.

In America, Pinkerton marries Adelaide while his ring and new life indicate a broken promise. He appears troubled by the distance between his memory of Cho-Cho San and his new life. Adelaide begins their life together even as his conscience remains unsettled.

Back in Japan, Cho-Cho San's grandfather asks her to remarry Yamadori according to local custom. She rejects the plan, insisting that she and the house belong to Pinkerton. The grandfather disowns her, severing ties with the family and sealing her isolation.

The consul sends a radiogram for Pinkerton to see him upon the ship's docking, prompting Cho-Cho San to await his return. He arrives with Adelaide waiting outside the gate, and he explains that he must leave and will not be coming back. Cho-Cho San realizes he has chosen Adelaide over her.

Cho-Cho San confronts the stark truth of Pinkerton's marriage to Adelaide. She bids Trouble goodbye and prays, then takes the ancestral knife engraved with the inscription to die with honor when one can no longer live with honor. Wrapping Pinkerton's veil around her neck, she dies, uttering the line I love you for always as her final word.