In the opening number, "We Dance," the peasants describe their world: their lives are ruled by
powerful gods, and their island is ruled by the wealthy "grands hommes." They explain that the peasants and the
grands hommes belong to "two different worlds, never meant to meet."
In "One
Small Girl," they begin the tale of Ti Moune, a peasant girl from their side of the island who fell in love with a grand
homme after being "chosen by the gods for a magical fate." They describe how she was saved from a flood by the gods
when she was a child and raised by loving adoptive parents. At the end of the song, Ti Moune has turned into a beautiful young
woman.
In "Waiting for Life," Ti
Moune, who is now working in the hot fields, yearns for an undefined future, which she feels she has been promised by the
gods. She reminds them that they have singled her out and tells them not to forget her. A grand homme dressed in white drives
past her, and she decides he will someday carry her off to a new life.
Agwe, the God of Water, starts by creating a night of "Rain,"
and causes the young grand homme, Daniel, to crash his car on a dark road. Ti Moune discovers him. Cradling the injured Daniel
in her arms, Ti Moune realizes that the gods have answered her prayer.
Despite the objections of the peasants, Ti Moune cares for Daniel.
As her father, Tonton Julian, goes off in search of Daniel's family, Ti Moune's mother, Mama Euralie, observes that
Ti Moune has become obsessed with this boy. Tonton Julian discovers Daniel's family, who live behind the guarded gates
of a fine hotel on the other side of the island. Meanwhile, the peasants fear Ti Moune's folly will bring the wrath of
the gods down upon them. They "Pray" to ward off evil as a terrible storm rises.
Inside her hut, Ti Moune pledges her love
to Daniel in the song, "Forever Yours." She imagines him handsome and well. Suddenly, Papa Ge, the sly Demon
of Death, appears to claim Daniel. Ti Moune promises to give up her own life and soul if Papa Ge will only spare Daniel. He
gleefully agrees to her bargain.
Tonton Julian leads Daniel's family to him, and they carry him off in a stretcher. Ti Moune insists on
following Daniel. Although her parents plead with her to remain with them, they finally allow her to leave with their blessing.
Ti Moune's journey
begins as the storytellers enter, dressed as colorful birds, trees, frogs and breezes. They introduce Asaka, the formidable
Mother of the Earth, who promises Ti Moune that "Mama Will Provide" all the things she is likely to need on her
way.
Ti
Moune enters Daniel's room, where he lies in bed, still feverish from his injuries. She convinces him that she has come
to heal him, and he agrees to let her stay the night. As Ti Moune lies down beside him, the Goddess of Love, Erzulie, appears
to preside over them in "The Human Heart."
In "Pray – Reprise," the storytellers become gossips, commenting
on the unlikely union of a grand homme and a peasant girl, as Daniel and Ti Moune fall deeply in love. The gossips insist
Ti Moune may be Daniel's mistress, but will never become his wife.
On a starlit evening, Ti Moune tells Daniel of her dreams for
their future. He replies she is different from "Some Girls" he has known and says, "some girls you marry, some
you love." As he sings, another girl dresses before a mirror, her elegant movements and clothes in contrast to Ti Moune's
simplicity and earthiness.
At the Hotel Beauxhomme, a ball is held and the grand hommes eagerly wait for a glimpse of Ti Moune. She
arrives, dressed beautifully but simply. Daniel introduces Ti Moune to Andrea Devereaux, the girl we saw dressing for the
ball. At Andrea's request, Ti Moune dances, enchanting everyone at the ball. As Ti Moune celebrates her triumphant performance,
Andrea asks her to perform at her wedding, explaining it is she who will be marrying Daniel.
Daniel tells Ti Moune he was promised to
Andrea as a child and, "this is how things are done." Ti Moune is in shock, and Daniel bluntly tells her they could
never have married.
Desolate and alone, Ti Moune hears critical voices from the past echoing in her head. Papa Ge appears and reminds her
of her promise, reprising "Forever Yours." He says that, instead of surrendering her own soul, she can choose to
kill Daniel and have her own life back. Reminding her of Daniel's betrayal, he gives her a knife.
Ti Moune is thrown out of the Hotel Beauxhomme.
She waits, not eating or sleeping, until Daniel and Andrea pass by her after their wedding, tossing coins to the peasants.
She calls out to Daniel, and he pauses by her side for a moment before moving on. She curls up in despair and, from her hand
,falls the coin Daniel has pressed into it.
Mama Euralie begins a lament for Ti Moune, "Part of Us." The storytellers enact Ti Moune's
death. She is passed gently from one god to the next until Asaka at last takes Ti Moune to her breast and lays her to rest
in the earth.
Ti Moune is resurrected from the earth as a beautiful tree, one which will shelter peasants and grand hommes alike for
years to come. The storytellers tell the little girl how Daniel's young son encountered a beautiful peasant girl in the
tree, and the spirit of Ti Moune set them free to love one another. This is "Why We Tell the Story." They sing to
the little girl, "For out of what we live and we believe, our lives become the stories that we weave."
As the little girl picks up the thread of the story and begins
to tell it, the storytellers resume their places around the fire. The stars come out as the lights fade on them.
