"Did you enjoy your shower?" Rosita asked. "Yes," Odette replied innocently. Rosita's smirk grew wider. "Did Louis enjoy it as well?" Odette blushed. Rosita giggled then somberly continued, "Madame Marie is talking with Regine now." Odette nodded and decided to focus on dance. "Would you like to practice some steps now?" They went into an empty classroom and began to dance. Soon they were both exhausted yet satisfied with their performances.
The end of the month came quicker than expected. Louis and Odette were more than ready for their performance of La Papillion. Their relationship had grown stronger; thus, their dancing became more passionate and intimate. Marie and Lucien's faces shone with pride on the night of their most talented pupil's debuts. Backstage Louis approached Odette and Rosita. "Good luck." He kissed her on the cheek. She took a deep breath and glanced at him and Rosita, and hugged them both. Rosita was just giddy and full of excitement at her own performance; she had certainly improved since the beginning of class. For La Papillion; Odette would play Farfalla, Louis would play Prince Djalma, Rosita would play Leila, Farfalla's friend, Regine would play The Fairy Hamza, and Auguste would play Patimate. When she found out she would be playing third billing behind Odette and Louis, she was furious.
In the first act enters Hamza (Regine), who performs a solo that is more gaudy than passionate. The handsome Prince Djalma (Louis) crosses the stage. Hazma attempts to flirt with him, but he crosses the stage without another glance. Enter Odette, who plays Regine's maid, Farfalla. She admired the prince from afar, and as Hazma catches her staring at the prince; She crosses the stage and attempts to outshine and attack the maid, but Patimate (Auguste) shields Farfalla from the slap. Some amusing overacting on Auguste's part almost made Odette go into a fit of giggles.
In the second act, the Prince asks Farfalla to dance with him. Louis and Odette perform the first part of their solo dance. Soon after, Hazma, furious that Farfalla "stole" the Prince from her, locks her away. Hazma turns Patimate into stone and turns Farfalla into a butterfly. Caught off guard, Patimate is turned back from stone. Farfalla escapes out the window and flies toward the woods. Odette's leaps and feather-like movements capture the audience.
Meanwhile the Prince has met up with some gypsies who are butterfly hunting. Once the gypsies have gone astray, the Prince finds himself alone, or so he thought. A butterfly with light pink and lavender wings flies close to him, which he promptly pins to a tree. Alone, Djalma looks at his charming prisoner. The butterfly has wings and a body of the same color as Farfalla. To secure his prisoner, the Prince plucks a needle from his headdress and pins the butterfly to a tree. To his horror, the butterfly changes into a young girl, her head downcast, her eyes brimming with tears.
Hazma and Patimate join up with Farfalla, who has since returned home. Hazma captures Farfalla in a net. Then Patimate saves the day by freeing Farfalla and capturing Hazma. Panicking, Hazma restores Farfalla to her normal self. The Prince runs in and takes Farfalla into his arms, where she promptly faints from exhaustion. The Prince declares his love for Farfalla when she awakens, and they are married. As one last attempt at revenge, Hazma burns the wings of Farfalla. This was a mistake on Hazma's part because Farfalla was soon transformed back into the princess she was meant to be. Farfalla and the Prince share one last dance as the curtain falls. Odette and Louis were panting, giant smiles on their faces. The audience burst into applause. After the performance, many were coming up to Odette and Marie, telling them that Odette would certainly become the greatest ballerina of her generation. Meanwhile, Regine steamed in the background. She would have her revenge soon. A plan began to formulate in her mind, a plan which would affect the entire Opera.