Building a masterpiece explores some of the untold chapters in the long history of the Opera House's gestation, development and completion - the individuals whose careers were made or broken by the Opera House, the companies whose reputations were secured through their association with the building, and the pioneering construction methods, innovative technologies and methodologies developed to meet the demands of its unprecedented design and challenging construction. The workers who built the building, the politicians, architects and members of the public who championed it and its often beleaguered architect are discussed as is its current world status as a symbol of Australia.