Summary
The Sign of Four takes place in 1888 in London. It starts off with Dr. Watson explaining how he has watched Sherlock Holmes, his very intelligent friend, take cocaine three times a day for the past several months. Watson has been too afraid to stand up to Holmes and ask him to stop. Once he finally overcomes his fear and explains the bad effects of cocaine to Holmes, his response is that taking the medication is, “stimulating and clarifying to the mind”
Ms. Morstan comes to Sherlock Holmes and explains her case. Her father, Captain Morstan, was in India and in charge of a convict regiment along with Major Sholto. He sent to his daughter explaining that he had a 12-month leave and was coming home. She went to meet him at his hotel and he was not there. The hotel said he was staying there, but had left and not come back yet. Major Sholto was Captain Morstan’s only friend in London that Ms. Morstan knew about and he claimed that he didn’t even know his friend had come home.
A few years later, there was an ad in the newspaper asking for Ms. Morstan’s home address. The day she gave her address, she received a very valuable pearl in the mail. She has been getting a pearl every year since and now has a total of six pearls. Now, she has received a letter asking her to meet the sender that night with two other people, as long as they are not cops.
Sherlock and Watson agree to accompany her. During the ride Ms. Morstan shows Holmes a paper she found with her father’s things. On the paper there was what looked to be a map and it said “the sign of four” with three Indian names and the English name 0f Jonathan Small. Holmes also discovers that Major Sholto died right before Ms. Morstan started to get her pearls. This leads Holmes to believe that Major Sholto knew how Captain Morstan died.
The three friends eventually reach the home of Thaddeus Sholto, Major Sholto's youngest son. Holmes asks Sholto questions about his father and finds out that his father seemed to be scared of men with a wooden leg. Right before Major Sholto died he told Thaddeus and his twin brother, Bartholomew, to give Ms. Morstan her share of the hidden treasure that he and Captain Morstan got in India. Once Captain Morstan came back to England he came to Major Sholto’s house and they argued about sharing the treasure and Morstan died from a heart attack. Major Sholto did not call the police because he was afraid he would be blamed for the death and didn’t want to explain the treasure, so Sholto got rid of the body on his own.
Major Sholto was just about to tell his sons where they could find the treasure when a man with a wooden leg appeared at the window and he died instantly of fear. The brothers looked for the hidden treasure, but couldn’t find it. However, before Major Sholto died he had planned to send a chaplet to Ms. Morstan and left it out. This is how Ms. Morstan has been getting the pearls.
The two brothers have recently found the treasure and Thaddeus contacted Ms. Morstan so she could get her portion. They arrived at Bartholomew’s house and find that he has died because he was shot with a poison dart, the treasure has been stolen, and the criminals left a note that says, “the sign of four.” Sherlock Holmes realized that there were two people in the room, one with a wooden leg and the other with very small feet. He immediately got a dog to trace the scent of these people. The dog eventually led them to the water where the men took a steam launch named the Aurora.
Sherlock and Jones set up to pursue the Aurora with some other people on the police force. Jonathon Small is captured, but his small companion from Africa had to be killed because he was trying to kill Sherlock and the rest of the people on the ship. They find the treasure on the boat and Dr. Watson goes to take it to Ms. Morstan. However, when they open the box it is empty. Dr. Watson having feelings for Ms. Morstan is thankful because now she is not out of his league and they get engaged.
Jonathon Small tells Sherlock the whole story of the treasure. He was a guard in Agra. He commanded two men and one night they attacked him stating they would kill him or he had tohelp them kill the wealthy man with the treasure and become rich. Small agreed to help them and ended up killing the wealthy man. The four friends found a place to hide the dead body and the treasure. However, the men got caught for the murder and were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor for the rest of their lives. Smalls was then transferred to the Andaman Islands where Captain Morstan and Major Sholto were in charge.
Smalls noticed how Morstan was running out of money to play poker with his friends on the Island. He offered Morstan and Sholto a part of the treasure if Smalls could be free. They both agreed to this plan and Smalls gave Sholto the location of the treasure to make sure it was there before letting the convicts go. However, Sholto took the treasure back to England instead.
This is when Small met his companion, Tonga. Small saved Tonga’s live and Tonga became very attached to Small. Tonga helped Small escape and they came back to England and found where Major Sholto lived and where the ones at his window when he died.
Then Small heard that the treasure had been discovered and went to Bartholomew’s house immediately. Small could not get the treasure with his wooden leg and had Tonga do it. Small had planned to get the treasure while Bartholomew was out of the room eating his dinner, but when Tonga arrived he was still there. Tonga killed Bartholomew and they left with the treasure. After Small concludes his tale, he is taken into custody and the police force takes all of the credit for Sherlock’s work. Watson asks Holmes what he will get out of solving the case and Sherlock replies that he still has his cocaine.
Ms. Morstan comes to Sherlock Holmes and explains her case. Her father, Captain Morstan, was in India and in charge of a convict regiment along with Major Sholto. He sent to his daughter explaining that he had a 12-month leave and was coming home. She went to meet him at his hotel and he was not there. The hotel said he was staying there, but had left and not come back yet. Major Sholto was Captain Morstan’s only friend in London that Ms. Morstan knew about and he claimed that he didn’t even know his friend had come home.
A few years later, there was an ad in the newspaper asking for Ms. Morstan’s home address. The day she gave her address, she received a very valuable pearl in the mail. She has been getting a pearl every year since and now has a total of six pearls. Now, she has received a letter asking her to meet the sender that night with two other people, as long as they are not cops.
Sherlock and Watson agree to accompany her. During the ride Ms. Morstan shows Holmes a paper she found with her father’s things. On the paper there was what looked to be a map and it said “the sign of four” with three Indian names and the English name 0f Jonathan Small. Holmes also discovers that Major Sholto died right before Ms. Morstan started to get her pearls. This leads Holmes to believe that Major Sholto knew how Captain Morstan died.
The three friends eventually reach the home of Thaddeus Sholto, Major Sholto's youngest son. Holmes asks Sholto questions about his father and finds out that his father seemed to be scared of men with a wooden leg. Right before Major Sholto died he told Thaddeus and his twin brother, Bartholomew, to give Ms. Morstan her share of the hidden treasure that he and Captain Morstan got in India. Once Captain Morstan came back to England he came to Major Sholto’s house and they argued about sharing the treasure and Morstan died from a heart attack. Major Sholto did not call the police because he was afraid he would be blamed for the death and didn’t want to explain the treasure, so Sholto got rid of the body on his own.
Major Sholto was just about to tell his sons where they could find the treasure when a man with a wooden leg appeared at the window and he died instantly of fear. The brothers looked for the hidden treasure, but couldn’t find it. However, before Major Sholto died he had planned to send a chaplet to Ms. Morstan and left it out. This is how Ms. Morstan has been getting the pearls.
The two brothers have recently found the treasure and Thaddeus contacted Ms. Morstan so she could get her portion. They arrived at Bartholomew’s house and find that he has died because he was shot with a poison dart, the treasure has been stolen, and the criminals left a note that says, “the sign of four.” Sherlock Holmes realized that there were two people in the room, one with a wooden leg and the other with very small feet. He immediately got a dog to trace the scent of these people. The dog eventually led them to the water where the men took a steam launch named the Aurora.
Sherlock and Jones set up to pursue the Aurora with some other people on the police force. Jonathon Small is captured, but his small companion from Africa had to be killed because he was trying to kill Sherlock and the rest of the people on the ship. They find the treasure on the boat and Dr. Watson goes to take it to Ms. Morstan. However, when they open the box it is empty. Dr. Watson having feelings for Ms. Morstan is thankful because now she is not out of his league and they get engaged.
Jonathon Small tells Sherlock the whole story of the treasure. He was a guard in Agra. He commanded two men and one night they attacked him stating they would kill him or he had tohelp them kill the wealthy man with the treasure and become rich. Small agreed to help them and ended up killing the wealthy man. The four friends found a place to hide the dead body and the treasure. However, the men got caught for the murder and were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor for the rest of their lives. Smalls was then transferred to the Andaman Islands where Captain Morstan and Major Sholto were in charge.
Smalls noticed how Morstan was running out of money to play poker with his friends on the Island. He offered Morstan and Sholto a part of the treasure if Smalls could be free. They both agreed to this plan and Smalls gave Sholto the location of the treasure to make sure it was there before letting the convicts go. However, Sholto took the treasure back to England instead.
This is when Small met his companion, Tonga. Small saved Tonga’s live and Tonga became very attached to Small. Tonga helped Small escape and they came back to England and found where Major Sholto lived and where the ones at his window when he died.
Then Small heard that the treasure had been discovered and went to Bartholomew’s house immediately. Small could not get the treasure with his wooden leg and had Tonga do it. Small had planned to get the treasure while Bartholomew was out of the room eating his dinner, but when Tonga arrived he was still there. Tonga killed Bartholomew and they left with the treasure. After Small concludes his tale, he is taken into custody and the police force takes all of the credit for Sherlock’s work. Watson asks Holmes what he will get out of solving the case and Sherlock replies that he still has his cocaine.