The Ballad of Baby Doe lives of actual historical figures Horace Tabor, Elizabeth "Baby" Doe Tabor, and Augusta Tabor, the opera tracks their lives from Horace and Baby Doe's meeting to the death of Horace. "Always Through the Changing" is a postscript ending foretelling Baby's death. Scene 1 The story begins by commenting on the riches of the Matchless Mine and on how Horace Tabor owns the whole town of Leadville, Colorado. Horace sings "It's a Bang Up Job" to the townspeople, praising his new opera house and sharing his disenchantment with his wife Augusta. During intermission at a performance at the opera house, Augusta
The Ballad of Little Joe the ranchhouse, leaving the sheep that are still stacked in groups of ten. At the breakfast table, the brothers are ready to chow down, when Pa comes into the room, telling the brothers that today is Little Joe's birthday. Little Joe is feeding Baby Ben, when he hears this news, before the family's servant (played by Mr. Lunt) hops into the room while carrying a birthday cake. Soon, Pa then has the brothers sing a Westernized birthday song for Little Joe, though they do it rather reluctantly. After the song ends, Little Joe tells them that they shouldn't have, before