The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) arrives and finds Christian and Satine together. Christian’s quick wit and Satine’s charm fool the Duke into believing that they were rehearsing “Spectacular Spectacular.” The main cast improvises the plot of the show on the spot: a beautiful Indian courtesan has her kingdom invaded by an “evil maharaja.” She sets out to seduce him to save her kingdom, but accidentally seduces and then falls in love with a penniless sitar player. The two must hide their love and evade the maharaja, though it is implied that one of them may die at the end of the story. (It is soon realized that the theme of their play foreshadows what happens in the film’s plot.)