In an age when superstitious people were attracted to the seemingly miraculous discoveries of scientists, and hypnotism was the new vogue, all the villagers regarded Dr. Coppelius and his mysterious experiments with suspicion and fear. But they could not ignore the lovely young girl whom they took to be his daughter, Coppelia. She could always be seen in his window, apparently reading a book, and there was something strangely compelling about her slender figure and her great shining eyes. Franz, a village boy engaged to Swanilda, saluted Coppelia one day, and she apparently returned his greeting-to the annoyance of Swanilda, who set out to discover who her rival was.