Act 1
The Foyer of the Comédie-Française
The curtain is about to rise on a performance of Racine’s Bajazet. A feverish excitement reigns in the wings. The Prince de Bouillon and the Abbé de Chazeuil have come to greet the actresses before they make their entrance on stage. The Prince is the acknowledged protector of Duclos, one of the most famous actresses of the moment along with her stage rival Adrienne Lecouvreur. Just then, the latter enters the foyer, provoking a deluge of compliments from the Prince and the Abbé which greatly irritates the other actors.

Michonnet, the stage manager, secretly in love with Adrienne, tries to profit from an instant alone with her to reveal his true feelings. But Adrienne takes the lead… and announces to him that she is in love with Maurice, a young officer in the service of the Count of Saxony (Adrienne is unaware that Maurice is in fact the Count). Maurice then enters and pledges love to Adrienne.

Before going on stage, the young woman slips a posy of violets into Maurice’s buttonhole as a token of her love. The Prince returns in a fury: he has just been given a note sent by Duclos to Maurice in which she has arranged a rendezvous for that very evening. The Prince decides to catch the guilty parties in the act. However, it is not Duclos who has arranged the rendez vous with Maurice: the actress was merely acting as the intermediary between Maurice and the Princess de Bouillon, whose relations with the Count are of both a private and political nature. At the end of the performance, the Prince invites the actors to a supper. Adrienne accepts in the hope that she will meet the Count of Saxony and be able to plead the cause of the man she still believes is just a simple officer. 

Act 2:
Duclos’ villa at la Grange Batelière
The Princess de Bouillon awaits Maurice. She senses that the Count’s ardour for her has cooled of late. She notices the bouquet in his buttonhole. Maurice finally admits that his heart now belongs to another woman whom he refuses to name. Their tête-à-tête is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the Prince and the Abbé. The Princess hides in the study adjoining the sitting room. Maurice is ready to challenge the Prince to a duel to save the honour of his mistress but he quickly realizes that the Prince thinks that the beautiful woman hiding next door is Duclos. Maurice does his best to maintain the illusion. Adrienne arrives. The Prince introduces her to the Count of Saxony and she realizes that he is in fact her lover… Adrienne forgives the innocent deception. Maurice explains the situation to her in muted tones and asks her to help the person who is hiding in the study to escape from the villa without being recognized — even by herself. Adrienne confidently promises to assist. Left alone for a moment, she brings the mysterious unnamed stranger out of the adjoining room. The relative darkness in the salon prevents them from recognizing each other, but they both soon guess that they are rivals in love. Before the Princess can find out more, the Prince returns forcing her to flee. However, as she leaves, she drops a bracelet which is found by Michonnet who has come to find Adrienne.  

Act 3
The Palace of the Prince de Bouillon
The Prince throws a grand reception. The first guests arrive. Adrienne is among them. The Princess thinks she recognizes the voice of her interlocutor from the other night. In order to be certain, she pretends to be concerned for Maurice’s health and claims he has been injured in a duel. Adrienne falls for the ruse and is betrayed by her emotions.

The arrival of Maurice, obviously unscathed, provokes a moment of confusion. Adrienne realizes that the Princess and the unknown woman from the villa are one and the same. She then decides to flaunt the Princess’ lost bracelet which she is now wearing in front of the guests. Dumbfounded, the Prince recognizes his wife’s jewellery. The Princess manages to avoid an awkward explanation by calling on Adrienne to recite a monologue. The actress delivers the monologue from Phèdre in such a way that she all but overtly accuses the Princess of adultery. The latter vows revenge.  

Act 4

At the home of Adrienne Lecouvreur
Adrienne wonders about Maurice’s fidelity. Consumed by depression, she contemplates abandoning the theatre. Comforted by the arrival of Michonnet and actors from the Comédie-Française who have come to wish her the best on her name day she goes back on her decision to quit the stage.

A box from Maurice is delivered: it contains the withered violets that she offered him in the first act. Convinced that it symbolizes their breakup, Adrienne drifts back into depression and nostalgically breathes in the fragrance of the violets, the scent of her lost love.

At that moment, Maurice arrives. He begs Adrienne to forgive him for his liaison with the Princess and affirms that he did not send her the violets. To prove his love, he asks her to marry him. Adrienne refuses: the theatre is her realm. However, convinced of his sincerity, she forgives her lover. She is suddenly overcome with dizziness. Maurice tries to help her but Adrienne drifts into delirium and no longer recognizes him. Michonnet realizes that the bouquet was poisoned — no doubt a final gift from the Princess. It is too late: Adrienne dies in their arms.