As dawn breaks, the church bells of Rome toll and a shepherd sings. A soldier brings Cavaradossi in, and the jailer searches the papers for the prisoner's name and tells him he has only an hour to live. In exchange for a ring, he is given permission to write a few lines to his beloved. Tosca enters and rushes to Cavaradossi, shows him the safe-conduct pass, and tells him what has happened. She asks him to act naturally when they stage the execution. The firing squad lines up, fires at the prisoner, and Mario falls. As the soldiers withdraw, Tosca approaches her lover and calls out to him, urging him to escape, but Mario is dead.