A flamboyant figure in 1920s Parisian society, Gaston (a respected lawyer who becomes the world's first investigative journalist) turns to novel writing after squandering his inherited millions. He produces the world's first locked door murder mystery before stumbling over living witnesses to the "Phantom of the Opera" saga. Desperate to prove that Erik (aka "The Phantom") was real and lived an odyssey in Persia for 20 years before collaborating with Charles Garnier on the design of the Paris Opera House, Gaston's efforts are thwarted by authorities of the day. The authorities have their own motives for keeping the existence of Erik a secret and reaping revenge on Gaston himself.