What kind of story does 'Turandot' tell?

Turandot tells a dystopian story set in ancient Beijing, China. The original libretto for the opera is a five-act fable by Venetian writer Carlo Gozzi. It is based on the popular French fairy tale of the late 17th century, The Nights of the Sky, which has many characters, including the Tartar Princess Adhemar, who serves Princess Turandot because of her country's demise and originally played a key role in the play, attempted to kill herself, but was deleted from the opera, and replaced by the innocent and lovely maid Liu'er, who was favored by Puccini. The girl, Liu'er, is Puccini's favorite.