Franco Zeffirelli has created a dramatic and moving 'what if' account of an impressario's attempt to bring a legendary diva out of retirement and back into the public eye. Maria Callas (Fanny Ardant) had become an icon worldwide, but is now a lonely and volatile figure in Paris after rejection by Onassis.

Larry Kelly (Irons) is a gay rock promoter who, having promoted her in the past, is trying to persuade "Madame Callas" to re-launch her career via a film version of Carmen, with Callas miming to her own recordings from when her voice was in its prime.

Sarah Keller (Plowright) is a magazine journalist seeking to interview Maria and report the project. Other Callas music featured in soundtrack : "Norma" "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly"