Henry Jaglom, the U.S. filmmaker who directed Welles in the 1971 feature A Safe Place, made inquiries to potential investors to back this project, which was originally called Da Capo.
The first segment was shot in black-and-white and involves Welles in costume and make-up as a 19th-century Dutch-Jewish merchant who recounts the story of Pellegrina Leoni, an Italian opera diva who mysteriously disappeared after losing the ability to sing.
The second segment was shot in color and features Kodar as Pellegrina, who declares her farewell to her merchant friend while announcing that she is disappearing to seek a new anonymous life.
Kodar would later recall Welles toying with the idea of casting Timothy Dalton, Peter Ustinov, Oliver Reed, Bud Cort, and Jeanne Moreau.
In 1996, the rights to the Blixen source material was purchased from Kodar by Andy Howard, who was Welles' business manager during the final years of his life.