It is based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1843 fairy tale, "The Nightingale", and tells the story of a Chinese emperor who learns, nearly too late, that wealth cannot buy happiness.

The work premiered at the Buxton Festival and then in London at the Lyric Hammersmith beginning on December 18, 1982, with a cast including Sarah Brightman as the title character, Nightingale.

In the U.S. a fully staged production of the show was given by the First All Children's Theatre in New York in May 1982 with sets by Oliver Smith, costumes by Christine Andrews, and lighting by Victor En Yu Tan[1] The group then gave a preview of the work in New York in March 1983 before the North American premiere at "The Barns" at Wolf Trap, Virginia, in April 1983.

The Citizens of China hear the Nightingale and they make it a nation treasure ("Festival Medley").

The Narrators tell the audience how things have been throughout the last few years ("Entr'acte" / Beautiful Underscore").