Résumé
The author's preface claims that the story of the Phantom of the Opera is not a myth but a true account of a real person who existed "in flesh and blood".
The narrative follows a series of mysterious and tragic events at the Paris Opera House, which are attributed to a phantom.
These events include the disappearance of the opera singer Christine Daaé and the death of Philippe, the elder brother of the Vicomte de Chagny, whose body was found on the banks of a lake beneath the Opera.
The author pieces together the story from various sources, including an old judge and a witness known as "the Persian," who claim to have had personal relations with the phantom and evidence of his existence.