Chapter 1 - Christine

We've all heard of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, but what if it was a true story inspired by a prima donna living in Paris in 1889? This novel is about the life of Christine Joyeux, who is kidnapped by a cold and ruthless monster called the Opera Ghost. He takes her to a strange and distant land, away from everything she has ever known. As Christine explores the world of Persia in 1869, the last years of the reign of Nasir al-Din of the Qajar dynasty, she finds herself forced into the harem of the shah himself. As Christine struggles to understand the cruel, selfish, and violent man in her company, she begins to see how complicated the question of pursuing her own happiness can be.