A combustible mix of political crime, love, and obsession explodes in tragedy in Puccini’s masterpiece, Tosca, one of the world’s favorite operas. The story is set in Rome in the early 1800s, where the singer Floria Tosca and the painter Cavaradossi are in love. But their romance is doomed by the toxic Baron Scarpia, who is on the hunt for the escaped political prisoner whom Cavaradossi is protecting. To make matters worse, Scarpia decides he wants Tosca for himself, jails her lover, and threatens to kill him. Tosca tries to save Cavaradossi’s life by striking a terrible bargain with Scarpia, but he betrays her—and her revenge comes too late.