Covering almost twenty years in the life of a tawdry French diplomat (Jeremy Irons), the story of M. Butterfly seems to depict the lengths to which people will maintain their delusions to stay happy. After seeing a lead performer (John Lone) in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, the diplomat falls in love with the star singer. Though the object of his love is cross-dressing actor, the diplomat seems oblivious to the truth and begins an affair of some chasteness for years in China. When the Communist Cultural Revolution separates the would-be lovers, the actress Song is sent off to prison and the diplomat is recalled to France. When they re-connect years later at Song’s urging, the Irons character may be the victim of a spy plot to gain sensitive information for the Communist government and Song may be the key manipulator. At issue for the lovers is how much each knows about the other—and how much each keeps secret from the other (if anything).