This is a short one-act piece with only two characters and a very simple plot. It's sometime during the Renaissance; there's a rich noblewoman living in a palace of some kind, lamenting that she cannot find love. A youth named Zanetto (a trouser role)--a minstrel/jack-of-all-trades--comes to visit. He thinks it would be nice to settle down, and she likes the idea of living with him. And yet, for some reason, she feels compelled to reject him and send him off. He says he wants to go see this Silvia woman he's heard about, who's supposed to be beautiful and rich. In fact--amazing twist!--she is Silvia but she advises him not to go looking for her. He agrees and asks her which direction to go. She points, and he leaves, and she breaks down. That's that.
I have something to say, and that something is this: Puccini and Mascagni are very similar composers--but Puccini is the best-known composer of his era, whereas Mascagni is a one-hit wonder. But in spite of that--hot take!--I'm not at all convinced that he's the lesser composer. Musically, everything I've ever heard from him, this included, is incredible. I think his status is down to a mixture of historical happenstance and the fact that he wasn't good at choosing libretti that would capture the public imagination (although this one is certainly moving in its small way). Also, maybe because "Puccini" is easier/funner to say than "Mascagni." Regardless, what that means, alas, is that even though he was actually more prolific than Puccini, his work is much less readily available--most of his operas have never been videoed at all. Dangit!
Regardless, as the above might indicate, I loved this. Go on, watch it! It's definitely better than whatever you'd been planning to do with the next fifty minutes!
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