The story opens at the Chatham hotel in Paris, where a gentleman named Brock has the great fortune to bump into an old friend named Medhurst. Brock is an American gentleman, while Medhurst is English. The two men are in their thirties. Medhurst is married to the Edith of the title of this book and is very anxious to persuade Brock to take part in a little scheme that involves Edith.