 In the spring of 1913, Parisian businessman Gabriel Astruc opens a new theater on the Champs Elysées. The first performance is the premiere of Igor Stravinsky s  The Rite of Spring , danced by the Ballet Russes. The rehearsal process is extremely fraught: the orchestra dislike Stravinsky s harsh, atonal music; the dancers dislike the  ugly  choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. The volatile, bisexual Nijinsky is in a strained relationship with the much older Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballet Russes  charismatic but manipulative impresario. Public expectation is extremely high after Nijinsky s success in  L apres-midi d un faune . Finally,  The Rite of Spring  premieres to a gossip-loving, febrile, fashion-conscious Parisian audience sharply divided as to its merits.