When an army captain, on leave during the first world war, visits a family friend for the weekend at their country pile in Essex, he is hoping for some sunny respite from the frontline. Captain Hastings and John Cavendish are childhood friends, so Hastings is well acquainted with his family, who also include John’s brother Lawrence and their stepmother Emily.
The widowed Emily, we learn, has recently married Alfred Inglethorp, an American 20 years her junior, much to the ire of her children who believe him to be a gold digger. One night, Emily is taken ill and cries out from her bed. By the time Hastings and Lawrence arrive on the scene – they are forced to break down the door, as it is locked from the inside – she is dead. The next morning Hastings announces he has called a friend to investigate: a moustached Belgian named Hercule Poirot.
