Gaffer Hexam fishes a body from the Thames bearing papers that identify it as John Harmon.

A stranger calling himself Julius Handford arrives at the police station to examine the body, then vanishes.

An inquest officially confirms John Harmon is dead, making the Boffins the sole heirs to the estate.

The Boffins invite Bella Wilfer to move into their new home with them as their heir.

Rogue Riderhood formally accuses Gaffer Hexam of murdering John Harmon to Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn.

Gaffer Hexam is found drowned, his corpse tied to his own boat in the Thames.

John Rokesmith is hired as the Boffins' secretary after demonstrating detailed knowledge of the Harmon estate.

The orphan Johnny dies in the hospital before the Boffins can officially adopt him.

Silas Wegg uncovers a second will inside the Harmon dust heaps that appears to disinherit the Boffins.

Boffin publicly demeans and fires Rokesmith; Bella passionately defends him and walks out of the household.

Bella and John secretly marry in Greenwich with only Bella's father present as witness.

Bradley Headstone savagely beats Eugene Wrayburn by the river and throws him into the water to drown.

Lizzie Hexam drags Eugene from the river and brings him to a nearby inn for medical treatment.

The Boffins reveal to Bella that her husband John Rokesmith is actually John Harmon, the true heir.

Boffin produces a third will hidden in a bottle from the dust heap, destroying Silas Wegg's blackmail scheme.

The novel opens with a corpse pulled from the Thames, setting off a chain of events tied to the Harmon fortune and the strange disappearance of its heir. Without John Harmon, the estate passes to the loyal Boffins, who bring Bella Wilfer into their lives while an enigmatic secretary named Rokesmith works quietly in their household. As false accusations and hidden identities multiply, the murderous jealousy of Bradley Headstone brings matters to a violent crisis at the river, with Lizzie's courage alone saving Eugene's life. Bella and Rokesmith marry in secret, and the Boffins' elaborate ruse is finally exposed alongside the shocking truth of Rokesmith's real identity. The Harmon fortune ultimately passes to its rightful heir through the generosity of the Boffins, as Silas Wegg's blackmail scheme collapses under the weight of a third, decisive will.

The headline events of the Harmon inheritance mystery from body to revelation.

Mortimer Lightwood tells the assembled Veneering dinner guests the story of the Harmon fortune and John's supposed death.

Silas Wegg is hired by Mr. Boffin to read to him each evening at the Bower for pay.

Lizzie Hexam sends Charley away to school with her savings to protect him after Riderhood's accusation.

Alfred and Sophronia Lammle discover on their honeymoon that neither of them has any money.

The Boffins visit Betty Higden's home to discuss their plan to adopt the orphan Johnny.

Charley Hexam and Bradley Headstone visit Lizzie at her lodgings to challenge Eugene Wrayburn's role in her life.

Eugene Wrayburn arranges and funds a private teacher for Lizzie Hexam and Jenny Wren's education.

Silas Wegg and Mr. Venus form a secret partnership to search the Harmon dust heaps for hidden valuables.

Betty Higden leaves London on foot, selling knitted goods from town to town rather than accept charity.

John Harmon, disguised as a stranger, forces Riderhood to sign a written retraction of his accusation against Hexam.

Bradley Headstone pays Rogue Riderhood to help track down Lizzie Hexam's secret hiding place.

Mr. Venus secretly reveals Silas's blackmail scheme to Boffin, who hides and overhears Silas openly mock him.

Eugene Wrayburn tracks Lizzie to the paper mill and tries to convince her to accept his love.

Bradley Headstone pulls Rogue Riderhood into a river lock, and both men drown together.

Twemlow defends Eugene and Lizzie's marriage at the Veneerings' final dinner party, earning Mortimer's warm admiration.

From the Veneerings' gossiping dinner table to Betty Higden's lonely journey on foot, the secondary events of the novel reveal a world of scheming, loyalty, and survival at every level of society. Silas Wegg's rise from ballad seller to would-be heir is driven by his secret partnership with Venus, while the Lammles' hollow marriage exposes the hypocrisy of a class system built entirely on appearances. Lizzie's education — arranged by Eugene over Charley and Headstone's objections — becomes a flash point for rivalry and resentment, mirroring the larger social tensions of the novel. Betty Higden's solitary wandering and death outside London stand in quiet contrast to the comfortable schemes of those fighting over the Harmon estate. Headstone's use of Riderhood as an informant and Venus's eventual betrayal of Silas both reflect how alliances of convenience collapse when self-interest reasserts itself. The novel closes with Twemlow's unexpected moral courage at the Veneering dinner table, offering a small but genuine victory for love over class prejudice.

The supporting cast and secondary storylines that shape the novel's world.

Charley Hexam brings news of the body found in the Thames directly to Mortimer Lightwood's law office.

Lizzie Hexam refuses to abandon her accused father despite Abbey Potterson's persistent pleas for her to leave.

Silas Wegg persuades Boffin to move to a larger house so that Silas can secretly occupy the Bower alone.

Bradley Headstone and Charley Hexam confront Eugene Wrayburn at his law office, with deep hostility erupting between the two men.

Bradley Headstone proposes marriage to Lizzie Hexam, who firmly refuses him, sending Headstone into a furious rage.

Charley Hexam angrily disowns Lizzie after she refuses Headstone's proposal, abandoning her entirely for his own ambitions.

Bella Wilfer witnesses Boffin being cruelly dismissive toward Rokesmith in public and fears wealth has corrupted him.

Betty Higden collapses while traveling and dies on the road, with Lizzie Hexam present to comfort her.

Bella visits Lizzie in her hiding place and learns she is concealing herself to protect Eugene from Headstone.

Eugene admits to Mortimer that someone has been following him at night, though he refuses to take it seriously.

Headstone begins wearing clothing identical to Riderhood's and follows Eugene upriver toward Lizzie's hiding place.

Alfred Lammle beats Fledgeby with a stick in revenge for his long-running manipulation of the Lammles.

Eugene Wrayburn and Lizzie Hexam marry at his bedside while he hovers near death from Headstone's attack.

Bella gives birth to a daughter during the months of quiet, happy married life with John.

Mortimer Lightwood recognizes John Rokesmith as Julius Handford; police arrive to confront John about the Harmon murder case.

Every major character in the novel reaches a moment where a choice or revelation permanently changes their path, and this pool traces those pivotal turns from beginning to resolution. Charley Hexam's arrival at Mortimer's office sets the whole mystery in motion, while Lizzie's fierce loyalty to her father and Silas's quiet manipulation of the Boffins each establish the moral landscape of the novel. The confrontations over Lizzie's future — Headstone's furious rejection, Charley's cold abandonment of his sister, Eugene's obsessive pursuit — build steadily toward the violent crisis at the river. Bella's gradual disillusionment with wealth is crystallized in her firsthand observation of Boffin's cruelty toward Rokesmith, while Betty Higden's lonely death on the road marks the novel's starkest vision of poverty's cost. As Eugene lies near death, he and Lizzie finally bridge the class divide that has kept them apart, and their marriage becomes the emotional heart of the resolution. The novel's final reversals — Bella becoming a mother and Mortimer at last free from the cynicism of his class — confirm that the story's true subject has always been the possibility of genuine change.

The key decisions, discoveries, and emotional shifts that determine each character's fate.