my true devotion

After rising to great fame amongst her peers, the devadasi, Nikiya, meets the Rajah Dugmanta of Golconda's daughter, Gamzatti, at the feast thrown in honour of her betrothal to the mighty warrior, Solor. Gamzatti who is a spoiled, carefree woman is deeply moved by Nikiya's dancing and fascinated by the other woman's quietly strong nature. She requests for the two of them to meet in private after the guests have retired for the night and attempts to sway Nikiya with expensive jewellery which Nikiya calmly rejects. However, as Gamzatti turns her efforts more physical, showering Nikiya in little touches and, lastly, a kiss - the devadasi must see herself finally defeated and gives in. The High Brahmin, however, who has been pursuing Nikiya without luck witnesses this scene as he comes to lead Nikiya back to the temple and is enraged from jealousy. A few days later, he has devised a plan and asks for an audience with the Rajah who, upon hearing about his daughter's escapades, immediately demands Nikiya killed, something that the High Brahmin promises to take care of. By accident, Solor happened to eavesdrop on this conversation and calls for Nikiya to be brought to him, hoping to be able to persuade or threaten her to not pursue her relationship with Gamzatti.

Nikiya is brought to him as he requested and he presents the situation to her, calmly at first, but when she insists that her love for Gamzatti is of a truer nature than his and that nothing can keep them separated, he loses his temper and tries to threaten her to stay away from his future wife. His threats grow so physical and violent that she, in an attempt to defend herself, grabs a nearby knife and attacks him with it in a fit of passion, an unfortunate accident whose consequences are only disarmed by Solor's servant interfering. Nikiya flees the scene, leaving Solor behind to insist on killing her himself, in order for him to save face and restore his fiancée's tainted honour.

Solor's and Gamzatti's wedding day arrives and Nikiya is invited to dance. She dances sadly, all her movements expressing her sorrow at Gamzatti marrying Solor. Nevertheless, Solor has arranged for a basket of flowers to be brought to her and, believing that it is a gift from Gamzatti, Nikiya's pace and mood picks up until a snake leaps from the basket and bites her on the neck. She drops the basket, staring at Gamzatti, but then realises in light of the other woman's shocked reaction that the true culprit must be Solor. She points at him, begins to move forward, but stumbles in her tracks, the snake poison quickly working its deadly magic. The High Brahmin approaches her with a flask of anti-venom that he is willing to give to her if she declares her love for him instead, but Nikiya refuses to resign her love for Gamzatti and chooses rather to die than to continue living without her...

She falls to the ground. Dead.