An unusual and macabre beginning to this play sets the audience's nerves twitching well before any dialogue confuses their minds Norman apparently murders his girlfriend, Millie, and is in the process of disposing of her body when he is interrupted by a Sergeant Stenning. The ensuing hunt for the victim and the ghoulish discovery of a head burning in the stove is fiendishly climaxed by the revelation that it is only a dummy. Yet is Millie really dead or not? Norman's sickening hobby of re enacting the most bizarre murders of history overwhelms Stenning, as does the realization that Millie is a willing partner to these charades. Norman's intentions are, however, more realistic and his wife's elaborate hoax of yet another murder to cure him of his addiction not only cements his resolve but almost provides his alibi for her own demise.