To his Victorian London friend, Stephen Lorry was a heartbroken widower. Only his maid, Lily, knew that his wife had not died of gastroenteritis, but had been slowly poisoned by her husband - she was happy to use this information to improve her status in the family and ensure that she and Stephen maintained a close relationship. With the development of his business partnership and more relationships belonging to his own class, Stephen decided that Lily must leave. Unfortunately, his first attempt gave her more control over him.