Christine Daaé is done with singing and dancing in the background of the Palais Garnier and running cons on gullible Parisians for extra cash. Desperate for a way out of this dead-end life, Christine runs across a disfigured young man in a traveling freak show. When Christine frees Erik from his cage, she never expects to encounter him again.

But Erik is drawn to the music of the Palais Garnier, where he can hear voices almost as magnificent as his. The opera is rife with rumors of a ghostly figure haunting the backstage catwalks. With Erik's help, Christine uses ghastly tales of the Opera Ghost to her advantage to secure a lead role in the gala, ousting the current diva, Carlotta, in the process.

Christine's first appearance in a principal role is a resounding success, bringing her to the attention of former childhood friend, Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny. Knowing Raoul to be easily led, Christine exaggerates Erik's monstrousness, setting the two men at odds. Their conflict comes to a head during a performance of Faust, where Erik forces a confrontation between all three of them in the secret tunnels beneath the opera house. There, Christine must face who and what she truly is, and decide who she wants to be.