Exotic and mysterious India serves as the backdrop to this story of doomed love between the warrior Solor and the bayadere (or temple dancer) Nikiya, who is killed by her jealous rival, Gamzatti, daughter of the Rajah. The Nureyev production of the ballet was created in 1992, the last production before his death, and restaged in 1994. The ballet is preceeded by a short excerpt from the 1997 documentary, Dancing through darkness.