This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)The Phantom of the Opera is a disfigured musician named Erik who lives below the OpÃ©ra Garnier in Paris. He has a large part in managing each performance through his friend Gerard Carriere. The Phantom's life changes when Carriere is dismissed and the opera hires a new manager, Choleti. Choleti's wife Carlotta is a spoiled woman with a bad personality and terrible voice; The Phantom takes an instant dislike to them both. Choleti and Carlotta refuse to listen to warnings about the "ghost" who haunts the opera house, even when Joseph Buquet, Carlotta's wardrobe man, goes into the depths of the opera house and is killed.Christine Daae comes to the Paris Opera House to receive voice lessons that Phillipe, the Comte de Chagny promised her, learning that she is not the first pretty face Phillipe brought there. Carlotta dismisses her, but upon learning that Christine has a powerful patron lets Christine work in the costume department. Christine has no home or money, but Jean-Claude, the doorman, lets her stay in a storage room in the Opera House.Christine wanders onto the stage and sings to the empty theater. The Phantom is entranced by her voice. Hiding in the orchestra pit, he tells her that her voice is miraculous but untrained, and with proper technique her singing could reach its full potential. He offers to be her teacher, but must remain anonymous; that is why he wears a mask. They begin lessons, and the Phantom falls deeper in love with her.In retaliation for Carlotta's singing the lead in every production, Erik begins a campaign of humiliation against her, sabotaging her performances and causing Carlotta to become a laughingstock. The Comte de Chagny learns that Christine has been working in the costume department. He apologizes and invites her to the Bistro. With Erik's encouragement, Christine attends the Bistro and sings. Everyone is astonished by her voice and Choleti signs her to a singing contract. Phillipe and Christine start to bond. The Count realizes Christine was his childhood sweetheart from long ago. Erik witnesses them driving off together and stays up all night in the rehearsal room, waiting for Christine. When she returns, she finds him gone.Because of the Phantom's sabotage campaign, Carlotta says she will not sing until he is caught or killed. Finding out Christine has been secretly living in the Opera, Carlotta blackmails Christine into telling her about her vocal coach. When Carlotta informs her husband that Christine's teacher is the Phantom, Choleti gives Christine the female lead of the opera Faust; he is working with the police to capture the Phantom. During their next lesson, there is tension between the Phantom and Christine about where she went after the Bistro performance, but he agrees to help her prepare for her stage debut. Carlotta offers Christine a beverage that weakens her voice. The audience starts booing and Erik is enraged. He cuts through the ropes holding the chandelier and drops it on the audience, then abducts Christine to his underground lair.The Phantom discovers Carlotta was behind Christine's voice problems and dumps rats on her, driving her insane. As Christine sleeps, Erik builds traps for anyone who comes down below. Carriere pleads with him to let Christine go, but Erik refuses. He insists that the world above is not fit for her and believes that in time she will love him. He shows Carriere explosive materials he has devised, and warns him that he will blow up the opera house if they try to come down there. Carriere goes to Christine and urges her to get out. He tells her the story of Erik's past and of Erik's mother, a great singer named Belladova to whom she bears a resemblance. Belladova gave birth to him below the opera house, and Erik has lived there his entire life. Christine refuses to leave without talking to Erik.Erik takes Christine on a tour of his underground home. During a picnic, she asks Erik to show her his face. Erik refuses, but she promises him that she would be able to look at him with love and acceptance, just as his mother once did. When he does unmask, she faints. In the midst of an anguished breakdown, Erik locks her in one of his chambers.Christine escapes, and Carriere and the Count take her from the Opera House. Christine is stricken with guilt, and after having a dream that Erik is dying begs Phillipe to take her back. The Comte agrees, and he and Christine approach Choleti about singing that night. Choleti secretly arranges to have police planted throughout the opera house.Carriere finds Erik among the remains of his lair. Carriere tells Erik that Christine did not mean to hurt him. Erik replies simply, "She was unprepared for ugliness." The conversation turns to Erik's mother and, eventually, his face. The older man reveals that he has seen Erik's face, because he is his father. Erik says he knew. He tells Carriere that when he dies, he wants to be buried deep so he cannot be put on display. Gerard promises before leaving Erik.Christine sings at that night's performance of Faust. Erik hears her and forces himself up to Box Five. He begins singing with her. Christine and the Phantom sing to each other with such passion that the audience is awed.The police shoot at Erik and he jumps on stage, grabbing hold of Christine. He carries her to the roof, fighting off police. The Comte pursues them, but in the ensuing struggle is knocked off the roof, dangling above the street. Erik begins breaking the Comte's grip, but at Christine's pleading pulls him to safety. Erik finds himself cornered, with police determined to take him alive. Carriere has gone to his old offices and retrieved a gun. Upholding his promise, Carriere shoots his son. Erik falls from the roof and Christine runs to him. While cradled in his father's lap, Christine removes Erik's mask, looks him straight in the face and smiles. Erik dies with his father and Christine at his side. Christine replaces Erik's mask and is led away by the Comte.
Output: Question: What does the Phantom do in an act of selflessness?, Answer: gives gold to prostitute