The Phantom of the Opera

In present-day Manhattan, Christine Day and her manager Meg uncover an old opera score, Don Juan Triumphant, attributed to Destler. They research Destler and learn of rumors that he murdered women connected to the piece. When Christine sings from the parchment, blood seems to seep from the notes, but Meg returns and reveals it was an illusion.

Christine auditions with Don Juan Triumphant and a performance accident occurs when a sandbag falls, knocking her unconscious and shattering a mirror. The event unsettles the crew and hints at a cursed power behind the music. This moment marks the transition from rehearsal to a different reality.

Christine awakens in London in 1885 wearing period-appropriate opera attire, having been pulled through time by the piece. A different version of Meg is nearby, and Christine learns she has entered a world of rivalries and danger surrounding an opera house. The time jump sets up the central conflict of the story.

In the London opera house, Christine discovers she is the understudy to La Carlotta, who is jealous and resentful of her rising skill. Rivalry intensifies as Carlotta’s prestige is threatened. The atmosphere buzzes with tension and uncertainty.

Destler blindsides the scene-shifter Joseph with a blade high above the rafters after nearly killing Christine with the falling sandbag, blaming the accident on him. The act marks Destler’s direct, violent interference in the production. The danger surrounding the performances deepens.

Alone in her dressing room, Destler reveals he is her teacher and an angel sent by her deceased father. He urges Christine to practice Carlotta's part in Marguerite, claiming only she can sing it. Christine complies, signaling a dangerous bond forming between them.

Carlotta discovers Joseph's skinned, barely alive body in her dressing closet, causing her to scream and lose her voice. The horror heightens the opera house's peril and underscores Destler’s manipulation. Christine’s fear and visibility grow as events spiral.

Christine is cast in the role of Marguerite, which unsettles the opera house owner Martin Barton who favors Carlotta for prestige. The decision inflames rivalry and foreshadows further chaos in the house. Christine’s rising prominence under Destler’s influence raises the stakes.

During a scene about Faust, Destler recounts a decades-old memory of selling his soul to the Devil in exchange for adoration of his music. The Devil grants the wish but disfigures his face, ensuring he is loved only for his music. This backstory explains his obsession with immortality through art.

Christine delivers a stellar performance that earns a standing ovation, and she celebrates with her fiancé Richard Dutton. She mentions her mysterious 'teacher' as a figment of her imagination. Richard expresses a desire to meet this mentor, setting up future tension.

A bad review for Christine appears in the papers, allegedly arranged as a favor to Barton. Destler tracks down the critic, Harrison, and murders him in a Turkish spa when he refuses to recant. The killing demonstrates Destler’s reach and his willingness to eliminate obstacles to Christine’s future.

Christine prays at her father’s grave, where Destler tempts her with the offer of musical immortality if she joins him. He leads her to the secret lair beneath the opera house and the recollection of the Don Juan Triumphant lyrics returns. They descend into the sewers, where danger deepens.

In the Phantom’s lair, Destler attempts to force Christine into a wedding-like union, but Richard, Hawkins, and the rat catcher converge to intervene. Destler kills several pursuers and drags Christine deeper into his lair. The confrontation builds to a climactic struggle.

With the lair aflame, Christine destroys the space by fire and pushes a candle holder through a mirror, sending herself back to present-day Manhattan. She vanishes as she hears Destler’s echoing voice scream her name. The time-shift marks the end of the 1885 ordeal.

Back in present-day Manhattan, Christine meets Mr. Foster, who is revealed to be Destler from long ago in disguise. He tries to win her with charm and the Don Juan Triumphant music, but she rips off his mask, stabs him, and escapes with the score, tearing it apart and dropping it into a drain. A street violinist begins playing the Don Juan theme as Christine walks away, resolute that Destler may return but determined to move forward.