Mimi, a poor seamstress, and Rodolphe, a struggling playwright, fall in love. When Mimi attempts to help Rodolphe get his play produced, he suspects her of infidelity and she leaves him. Later, a severely ill Mimi returns to the now successful Rodolphe and dies.

Includes selections from operas of Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Mozart, Ponchielli and Donizetti.