Beijing, 1964. French Embassy accountant René Gallimard becomes infatuated with Beijing opera singer Song Liling after watching her perform arias from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." At their first encounter he engages her in what becomes a titillating conversation, in which Liling intriguingly challenges Gallimard's traditional western notions of gender relations. Gallimard's curiosity is now fully aroused and he attends the Chinese Opera just to see Liling again; this time, he initiates an affair which will last eighteen years. As soon as Gallimard is promoted to vice consul, becoming privy to top-secret intelligence, Liling takes the opportunity to spy for the Communist regime. But what Gallimard doesn't realize is that there's a secret Liling is keeping from him.