Through the French archives of the INA, Loznitsa pursues his reflection on the ceremonial staging of power, this time with a playful look at the high-society gatherings of the 1950s–1960s at the Palais Garnier. The Ukrainian filmmaker captures the pageantry of the elites and the carefree onlookers, who are soon swept away by the presence and voice of the “Divina” Callas.