A shocking secret behind a young boy's death leads to three generations of treachery in the midst of the wealth and decadence of Victorian England.

Lionel’s boring life as a salesman in a lacklustre electrical appliances store is instantly revived when vibrant, quirky Beatrice wanders into his store, looking for a new vacuum cleaner. When this malfunctions, she asks Lionel to come over to her house to fix it. Lionel is bewitched by Beatrice and, in order to see her again, he hatches the plan of breaking into her house to sabotage her household appliances.