Les pecheurs de perles, or The Pearl Fishers, is an opera in three acts by Georges Bizet to a libretto by Eugene Cormon and Michel Carre. It debuted in Paris in 1863.
The opera is set in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. The local fishermen elect Zurga as their leader. Nadir returns to the village, and he and Zurga recall at how their friendship was once threatened when they both fell in love with an unknown priestess. They swear eternal friendship. The priestess Leila arrives for a vigil of prayer for the safety of the fishermen, and Nadir recognizes her as the woman he and Zurga had loved. In the night, he goes to her and they acknowledge their love, but they are caught by the high priest Nourabad. For breaking her vow of chastity, she and Nadir are condemned to death. Zurga, feeling jealous and betrayed, discovered that in the past Leila had saved his life, and sets fire to the village to allow the two lovers to escape.