Lars von Trier’s 1996 film about a young woman’s shocking sacrifices for her husband was an immediate sensation on its premiere, winning the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival. The story of the devout Bess McNeill, and the stormy Scottish Highland community she belongs to, resonates deeply with audiences and is now a powerful new opera for our times.

Bess has fallen for Jan, a handsome foreigner and oil rig worker. Soon after their wedding, Jan survives a serious accident that sees him paralysed. Bess’s marital vows and unwavering love are put to the test when her husband asks her to sleep with other men and tell him of her sexual activities. Jan’s request puts Bess at odds with her fiercely religious community, setting in motion a disastrous series of events.