In a mysterious turn of events, the death of John Harmon sets off a chain reaction, as his inheritance is tied to marrying a woman he's never met. The fortune falls into the hands of the working-class Boffins, who take in Bella Wilfer and a secretive secretary named Rokesmith. Meanwhile, Lizzie Hexam, the daughter of a boatman suspected of Harmon's murder, finds herself entangled in a love triangle between Bradley Headstone, a self-righteous suitor, and Eugene Wrayburn, a charming and carefree individual.

The discovery of a body in the Thames uncovers the truth about John Harmon, t...