Manon's story—from innocent country girl to celebrated courtesan to destitute prisoner—is one of the great heartrending tales in literature and music. A tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life, Manon recklessly chooses luxury over the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for her proves their undoing. Laurent Pelly sets her enchanting production in Paris's "Belle Époque," when the opera was written, and Maurizio Benini conducts the sensual score.