History of creation
Despite the acclaim, Paliashvili took into consideration criticisms of the musical press, by cutting one act from the original six scenes in five acts, thus solidifying the huge support of Georgian audience for the opera. The renowned Georgian director, Kote Marjanishvili, wrote: "It's great celebration! The celebration of the art! The celebration of the victory of  culture! It's a window in Europe! Majestic legend elaborated with European skillfulness". Mariam Saparova-Abashidze, the outstanding Georgian artist wrote, "Abesalom should represent the immortal soul of  Georgian, in which Fortune and rapture are intertwined as a symbol of thought and beauty".
While working on the opera the composer frequently reiterated: "I don't  claim that I have written an opera, the essence of my work is to provide material, assemble and refine it, and give it to the public probably in the future a more gifted composer will turn up and create opera". Paliashvili considered opera as an art form, a synthesis of national and European music and as his greatest achievement, writing, "I love it and adore it not as my offspring but as a masterpiece of  Georgian Folk songs, based upon European musical theory".
The theme of the opera is the triumph of love over personal relationships, social inequality and even death itself, given theatrical life in a super combination of music, vocal beauty and movement.

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Synopsis

I act
Peasant woman Eteri bewails her orphanage. Hunter's song is hearing from far away. Prince Abesalom and his vizier Murman make the way for hunting with retinue. Accidentally Eteri meets Murman. Frightened Eteri runs away and collides with Abesalom. The Youth is fascinated with Eteri's beauty and he swears eternal love to her.
Eteri is also charmed with flaming and sincerity of Abesalom's confession. Murman is arrested with passion and his heart fills with wicked feelings: Murman swears that he'll take away Eteri from Abesalom.

II act
The wedding party is in palace. Abesalom and Eteri are coming in with royal retinue. The king gives his blessing to just married. Abesalom and Eteri swear eternal love each other. Murman presents little box to Eteri. There is bewitched a necklace in it. Eteri opens it and falls ill. Only Murman is able to cure her.

III act
Trouble falls upon the palace. Eteri is ill with incurable disease. Abesalom is in deep despair. The queen advises her son to let Eteri go. Maybe the sun and the mountains will return the health to her. He couldn't imagine his life without Eteri, but he takes mother's advice. Murman gains his wish. He takes Eteri home.

IV act
Eteri is cured in Murman's tower, but she's unhappy, her heart stayed with Abesalom. He also suffers without Eteri. He falls sick and now he comes to Murman's tower, to take a glance on Eteri's residence for the last time.
Abesalom with aim to depart Eteri from Murman, sends him for bringing water of immortality from the world's end.
The meeting of Abesalom and Eteri proved to be very short. Weakened Abesalom is dying in Eteri's arms. Eteri commits  suicide with the knife once presented by Abesalom as a symbol of faithful love.