SYNOPSIS 

ACT 1 

At a ball at the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris to celebrate the Prince's birthday, the guests are making merry. Their host is the ambassador Baron Mirko Zeta. 

Men-about-town Cascade and St. Brioche flirt with the wives of the embassy staff. While constantly reproaching the first secretary Kromow's wife Olga about her "virtue", Zeta's wife Valencienne gets familiar with Camille de Rosillon, a Frenchman. Rosillon inscribes Valencienne's fan with the words "I love you". This fan, like a charm, will cause many an event all through the operetta. 

Hanna Glawari, the Merry Widow enters with an entourage of fawning men; yet, she knows that they love her money, not her. As she leaves the room with Zeta, Danilo arrives drunk from the Maxime's and falls asleep. 

Hanna Glawari and Danilo met each other.Danilo, on the other handis nervous, for he wanted to marry her before his uncle has made him renounce her. They have an uneasy meeting until Zeta reminds Danilo his duty to his country. He must marry Hanna so that her five hundred million francs will remain in Pontevedria. Every men wants to dance with Hanna and she seems to prefer Danilo. Ingeniously, Danilo devises a plan to auction the privilege to dance with Hanna Glawari; the man who pay ten thousand francs will have the dance. All her admirers shy away.  
 

ACT II 

Madam Glawari's party is in progress. She sings "Vilja" about a fairy in the woods. Zeta chides Danilo's late arrival and asks him to find the owner of a fan he has found. In a duet between Hanna and Danilo, two formal lovers reminisce about their childhood. As she leaves, Hanna is pursued by Cascade and St. Brioche. As she reiterates that she is woman of virtue, Valencienne goes into a pavillion with Rosillon 

Zeta and Danilo try to enter the pavillion, but Njegus, the butler, can not unlock the door. He says that one of the persons in there is Rosillon. Zeta spies through the keyhole and faints when he realizes that the other is his wife. As he comes about,

he orders the door to be opened. To both Zeta's and Danilo's surpirise out comes Hanna with Rosillon. Then Valencienne appears from another direction. 

They start a lively quintet. To everyone's surprise, Hanna announces to her guests that she will marry Rosillon. Danilo tells a tale to show her error; he sings angrily "I will go to the Maxime's" on his way out. Hanna triumphantly shouts to all that Danilo loves her.  
 
 

ACT III 

The grisettes are dancing in Maxime.Danilo tells Hanna that he forbids her marriage to Rosillon. In return, Hanna reveals that she has not been the woman in the pavillion and has only wanted to save Valencienne's marriage. When the butler brings forth the fan he has found in the pavillion, Zeta sees that the woman in question has been his wife and he announces his will to divorce her. To everyone's surprise, he proposes to Hanna with the words "as a single man, I'm offering you my hand for the love of my country". Glawari says if she marries again she won't have any money. 

Zeta and Valencienne look at the fan and she asks him to read the inscription. It says "I'm virtous woman" This makes Baron Zeta very happy and the operetta ends in a joyful tone.