Act I
SCENE 1: In Favignana, a lonely woman gives herself up to memory by the sea.
SCENE 2: the young Franca, in her parents’ home, passes a feast day and chooses her dress to have a walk among Palermo streets, together with her two inseparable cousins.
SCENE 3: Ignazio Florio, in his office, works very hard up to decide to have a short break.
SCENE 4: Franca walks by the seafront and everybody looks at her; even Ignazio is there together with a friend, Vera Arrivabene.
SCENE 5: Ignazio and Franca look each others: he would like to know her, so that Vera is in a really embarrassed situation.
SCENE 6: Ignazio kisses Franca’s hand: that’s love at first sight; Vera, a part, is upset and disappointed.
SCENE 7: it seems like the world gets stuck around Franca and Ignazio but her parents arrival force them to split.
SCENE 8: in Favignana, a touched Franca reads again an old letter written by Ignazio.
SCENE 9: Franca constantly receives letters from Ignazio who is neglecting his job. Franca’s family is not really enthusiast about the relationship between the young aristocratic and the middle-class man, even if he is very rich.
SCENE 10: Franca and Ignazio get married, together with a few guests in Livorno, and after ending the Mass, go back joyful to Palermo.
SCENE 11: big wedding in Palermo.
SCENE 12: the guests go away. First Franca and Ignazio’s love night.

Act II
SCENE 1: in Favignana, Franca lives on her memories, surrounded by the fishermen love.
SCENE 2: after some year, Franca and Ignazio, protagonists of the beau-monde and still happily together, launch the luxurious yacht Aegusa, a husband’s present to his wife.
SCENE 3: the little daughter Giovanna faints, Franca and Ignazio go back home. The mother stays by her baby whose health is irreparably threatened.
SCENE 4: preparation for the Kaiser’s arrival.
SCENE 5: Guglielmo II and his wife arrive; Palermo is under feast together with Franca and Ignazio in their moment of magic celebrity.
SCENE 6: even the English royal family and other nobles are seen in Florio’s house.
SCENE 7: some Russian princes arrive at Palermo to pass a holiday by the Florio’s. Franca is called the queen of Palermo.
SCENE 8: on Giovanna’s death and after the tragic death of the youngest Ignazio, “Baby Boy”, something changed between husband and wife: Franca lives retired in her rooms, Ignazio is upset because of his wife’s reluctance and suffers Vera’s charme, his young passion.
SCENE 9: Franca and Ignazio go to a first night at the Massimo theatre. Behind the
SCENEs, Ignazio courts a dancer, while a diplomatic Franca pretends not to notice it.
SCENE 10: Boldini, the painter, thinks her his own muse, up to portray her in poses more and more malicious. Ignazio catches them and destroys the painting; after a while he is regretted so that presents a wonderful pearls necklace to Franca and asks the painter for a new picture.
SCENE 11: even if Ignazio’s passion is already disappeared, Franca is pregnant again: she still loves him and would like to give him the so longed male heir.
SCENE 12: in Favignana, Franca reminds with insistence, the most dramatic memories.
SCENE 13: at the Sanremo casino, Ignazio flirts with other women; Franca is alone, in another table. Destiny seems to be changed and the two go away separately.
SCENE 15: in front of the Favignana sea the sun is going to set: Franca knows she was a queen but today is just alone and weak. As an ordinary woman. Alone overwhelmed by memories.