Impossible was the only way. For Erik Charpentier and Christine Marie Bellerose Daae, life was not a mere game of propriety and convention; it was a test for survival. The year is 1881; the place- Paris, France; the heroine- Christine Marie Bellerose Daae; a young woman thrust into society from a less-than-adequate upbringing. Known to unwittingly defy convention at every turn, Christine falls in love with Erik, an older and far-wealthier gentlemen who, for a multitude of reasons, is viewed by all as an inappropriate suitor- that is, by the people by whom he was viewed at all. Erik was just as- if not more- reclusive as Christine; and depending on who you asked; he seemed to be a multitude of different people under one less-than-flattering title. Both are outcasts and both are long-suffering beings on a quest for self acceptance and redemption from tragic histories. Christine is a severely dependent young woman who has been forced to cling to the one man who ties her to her deceased family; he is her brother-figure; he is also an aristocrat who should not have ties to her but who believes; by entitlement of the fact that he has known her since she was a child; that he should be her husband. The drama is heightened when Erik and Christine marry in secret; making it impossible for Christine to turn down the aristocrat's outlandish and socially improper proposals without telling him the truth and facing certain death from the aristocrat's ill-intentioned older brother and caretaker. As Erik's confidante attempts an untimely intervention, the situation goes from bad to worse. The fragile-hearted Christine must emerge as a strong-willed and independent wife; and Erik must learn how to remain an honest and trusting husband in the face of all doubt. The bond between the husband and wife is tested beyond comprehension; but love always finds a way; and, in the end, it is the triumph of Erik and Christine that shakes the entire city of Paris; and, perhaps, the entire world, to its very core.