Part I opens in the late 1800s. Dr. John Watson, a British surgeon, gets injured in the Afghan War. Upon his return to London, he needs a new home and, after bumping into a former colleague, makes the acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes. The two men rent rooms together at 221B Baker Street. Since Watson is in ill health and doesn't go out much, he focuses on Holmes. He notices that Holmes knows a great deal about a narrow range of topics but is virtually ignorant of numerous subjects. One morning, Watson makes fun of an article about the powers of observation, only to learn that Holmes wrote the article and that he works as a consulting detective.