The movie's plot is an amalgam of three operas/operettas. A young writer with Bohemian friends, falling in love with a terminally ill , is from La Boheme, based on Henri Murger's novel "La Vie de la Boheme." A courtesan learning that love can also be true and idealistic comes from La Traviata, based on Alexandre Dumas fils' novel La Dame du Camelias, which also involves terminal illness.
