Laura defiantly attends the show she'd planned to see with her significant other, Markus, despite their separation. Her ticket leads her to the "dress circle" seats, a mysterious area behind the theater. As Laura follows an usher in search of her special seat, a matron and the production's Director grab her and drag her into a side room. They strip off her clothes and pull a heavy costume onto her head. As Laura fights them, she's shoved onstage, now a part of the show she intended to see. The usher has become the star, belting beside her as she watches the audience transform into hundreds of Markuses accompanied by other loving, doting women. As Laura quails in horror, the audience vanishes altogether and the usher turns toward her with an ominous proclamation, his shirt stained with blood. She flees into the set pieces - a mystical, ancient temple - only to find that the temple seems to go on forever. The matron reappears and tells Laura she can easily escape, if she only removes her costume. But as Laura struggles with the layers of tulle and tightly pulled laces, she realizes there's nothing of her left beneath the fabric.