An opera chronicling the development and demise of the 'paradise city' of Mahagonny in a series of tableaux capturing the baser aspects of human nature. Three criminals create the city in order to trap money: it is a place of pleasure, where no one works, everyone drinks, gambles, brawls and visits prostitutes, and all that matters is whether you can pay your way. A hurricane passing dangerously close to the city encourages complete lawlessness and debauchery, and soon the raving, delirious city destroys itself.