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Synopsis

Easter morning in a small village of Sicily. Turiddu’s singing is heard from afar - a few minutes ago he said good-bye to his mistress Lola – the wife of carriage driver, Alfio. The villagers are gathering on the square, some of them are hurrying to mass, others are wandering around. Opposite the church is Mamma Lucia’s Tavern. Santuzza, Turiddu’s fiancé is coming to this very place to look for him. The young woman feels restless with jealousy. She tells Mamma Lucia that Turiddu has not gone to Francofonte to buy some wine, he spent the previous night in the village with Lola. The old woman is taken aback, she invites Santuzza into her house. Santuzza refuses and reminds her that she has been excommunicated from the church. Before Lucia finds out more, the villagers on the square start greeting Alfio. The carriage driver has just finished his favourite job and Is returning home quite happy because he is sure that his beautiful Lola is waiting for him faithfully.
Alfio greets Mamma Lucia cordially and asks if she still has that special old wine. “I do not know, it is for some wine that my Turiddu left the house”, says the woman. But early in the morning it was Turiddu that Alfio caught sight of near his house. This news astonishes Lucia once more but Santuzza signals her to be quiet.
The villagers go into the church to pray. Lucia, left alone, listens to Santuzza’s sad story. It becomes clear that Turiddu and Lola were going to get married, but the young man went to the war, when he came back, he found Lola married to Alfio. Turiddu tried to find relief in a new love and fell in love with Santuzza. But now Lola became obsessed with envy and jealousy and again seduced Turiddu. Santuzza, abandoned and dishonoured, went to Mamma Lucia to share her sorrow. Horrified Lucia goes to the church to pray; Turiddu, who returned to the tavern, is not glad at all to see Santuzza. A tense dialogue begins, Turiddu insistently denies Santuzza’s accusations and when Santuzza tells him that he was near Lola’s house at daybreak, infuriated he blames her for spying on him.
Their conflict is interrupted by Lola’s appearance, who is strolling in the street singing light heartedly. She asks Santuzza sarcastically why she is not at Mass on this Easter Day. Santuzza answers that only sinless people can attend the mass. Hearing this Lola thanks God and this irony infuriates Santuzza. Lola continues on her way, the couple continues elucidating their problem. At last, a bored Turiddu follows Lola. Santuzza’s vain entreaties change into damnations: “It’s a bad Easter day for you, I swear”, she shouts after her former fiancé.
Santuzza fulfills her threat, She comes across Alfio in the street and tells him about his wife’s and Turiddu’s treachery. “I will revenge this treachery before sunset!” Alfio swears.
The mass is over. Turiddu asks Lola to stay, but she is eager to go home to see her husband. Turiddu assures her that Alfio will also be there soon. Lola agrees and Turiddu offers everybody a glass of wine in Mamma Lucia’s tavern. Alfio appears and the situation becomes tense. Alfio rejects the wine offered by the host. “I can’t accept the wine offered by you, that wine will turn into poison in a second!” he says. The women take Lola out and the tension reaches its climax when Turiddu bites Alfio on the ear, this means a challenge. They will fight with knives. But at that moment Turiddu realizes that he has done wrong, especially to Santuzza, who will be quite alone if he is killed. That is why he feels obliged to save his own life by stabbing Alfio in the heart. Alfio tells him coldly that he will be waiting for him behind the orchard.
Turiddu, left alone, calls for his mother. He tells her that the wine has made him giddy and that he is going out to breathe some air. But before that he asks her to bless him in the same way as she blessed him when he was going to the army, and if anything happens to him to take care of Santuzza, to whom he once promised to lead her to the altar. The vague words of her son puzzle and alarm Mamma Lucia, but Turiddu blames the wine for everything, asks her to pray for him, says good-bye and runs away.
Lucia runs after her son, but she comes across Santuzza in the doorway. The women embrace each other. In the incomprehensible shouts coming from afar horrible words are eventually distinguished: “Turiddu has been killed”.