The scene is medieval Paris.  Quasimodo is a deformed town bell-ringer who is feared and hated by all.  Frollo, the evil archdeacon, is in love with the beautiful young gypsy Esmerelda, and orders Quasimodo to kidnap her on his behalf.  Quasimodo is caught by the Captain Phoebus and publicly tortured.  Esmerelda falls in love with Phoebus for saving her.  However when she stumbles upon the imminent hanging of the philosopher Gringoire, she marries him to save his life.  Later, Phoebus visits Esmerelda, but the jealous Frollo hides in the room and stabs Phoebus.  Frollo flees, leaving Esmerelda to be convicted of Phoebus' murder. 

Just as Esmerelda is being led to the gallows, she sees Phoebus in the crowd, revealing that he is not dead after all.  Quasimodo appears and saves Esmerelda, taking her off to the sanctuary of the church bell tower.  Esmerelda is the only one to show Quasimodo a moment of human kindness and he falls in love with her.  When a group tries to save Esmerelda from Quasimodo, the king mistakes them for rioters.  Gringoire rescues her from them, taking her to Frollo.  When she rejects Frollo, she is given over to the town recluse Paquette, who craves revenge against gypsies for stealing her baby daughter many years before.  Paquette is in possession of a lone shoe of her daughter, and Esmerelda produces the matching shoe, leading to a realisation that they are in fact mother and daughter.  However, the reunion is short-lived, with the troops tracking down Esmerelda and murdering her much to Frollo's delight.  Quasimodo, still smitten with Esmerelda, kills Frollo in despair and crawls off to her tomb, dying with his arms around her body.