Porgy and Bess is set in Catfish Row, a dockside area of Charleston, about 1930.

Act I
Clara sings a lullaby (“Summertime”) to her baby while a group of men gamble. When an argument breaks out, one of the men (Crown) strikes another (Robbins) dead. Crown flees, telling Bess, who is his girlfriend, that he will be back for her. The drug dealer Sportin’ Life offers Bess refuge, but instead she hides with Porgy, a disabled beggar. During Robbins’s wake, the police arrive in search of his killer.

Act II
A month later Jake and the other fishermen prepare to go to sea. They are seen off by Porgy, who is a happy man: having nothing worth stealing, he need not fear thieves, and he has the love of Bess. Sportin’ Life is still seeking customers for his “happy dust.” When Sportin’ Life makes overtures to Bess, Porgy orders him off. Porgy and Bess pledge their love before she departs for a community picnic on a nearby island. At the picnic, Sportin’ Life diverts the gathering with his scandalously cynical views. Crown—the fugitive murderer—appears from the bushes and confronts Bess. She tells him that she is Porgy’s girl now, but Crown prevents her from taking the boat back to the mainland with the others.

Back at Catfish Row a week later, Bess is unwell, and Porgy and the neighbours pray for her. She is recovering, but then the hurricane bell rings, energizing the community. As the storm rages, the community worries about the missing fishermen, including Clara’s husband, Jake. Consigning her baby to Bess’s care, Clara runs out in the storm in search of Jake. Crown has returned and quarrels with Porgy before himself going back out into the storm.

Act III
Clara, Jake, and Crown are all thought to have died in the hurricane. Sportin’ Life arrives to taunt Bess. When Crown arrives, he and Porgy fight. Porgy gains the upper hand and kills Crown. When the police arrive, they take Porgy away to identify the body. In Porgy’s absence, Sportin’ Life tells Bess that Porgy will be gone for a long time and regales her with tales of the high life in New York City. She finally consents to leave with him. A week later, Porgy is back. Seeing that Bess has gone and hearing of her destination, he sets off to retrieve her, full of hope for their future.

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