Act 1, Scene 2 Summary

The king sits cross-legged in his study in the palace, dictating letters, as the kralahome enters the room. The kralahome tells the king that the schoolteacher has been in Siam almost three weeks and is waiting for an audience with the king to discuss her job and her promise of a private home. The king does not recall any such promise but agrees to see Anna.

The king is interrupted by the entrance of a man named Lun Tha, an emissary from Burma, who is going to copy the Bangkok temple. Lun Tha has also brought with him a young woman named Tuptim, a gift to the king from the Prince of Burma. The king is suspicious that Tuptim is a spy, but ultimately approves of her and leaves the room.

Tuptim breaks into song, revealing that although she is glad...