Heartbreak House

Ellie Dunn, a young woman, arrives at the home of Captain Shotover and his daughter, Mrs. Hesione Hushabye-having been invited by Mrs. Hushabye. However, no one is there to greet her, and she sits and reads while she waits for someone to notice her. She meets Nurse Guinness and the Captain just before Lady Utterword, the Captain's younger daughter, arrives home after a very long absence. Utterword is followed by Mazzini Dunn, Ellie's father; Randall, Utterword's brother-in-law (who is in love with her); and Boss Mangan, Ellie's betrothed. Hesione wants to prevent Ellie from marrying Mangan, who Ellie has settled on despite her lack of affection for him. Ellie tells Hesione that she fell in love with a man named Marcus Darnley, but it turns out that Marcus is really Hector Hushabye (Hesione's husband), who makes a habit of lying about his identity in order to deceive women. This breaks Ellie's heart, but Hector soon gets his own heart broken by his sister-in-law, Lady Utterword, with whom he falls in love practically at first sight.