Burke & Hare

Angus the Hangman narrates that the corpses he hangs are transported to Dr Robert Knox for dissection, establishing the macabre trade at the center of the film. The narration also introduces Dr Alexander Monro, Knox's rival, who is left to amputate body parts of living people, intensifying the professional feud. This setup foregrounds the schemes that follow to control access to corpses.

Charles Darwin forges a letter claiming that dead bodies may be transported to Monro's castle for dissection by him. The forged document aims to swing the supply away from Knox, fueling the rivalry between Knox and Monro. The moment underscores the bureaucratic deception behind the grisly enterprise.

William Burke and William Hare try to ply their trade by selling a cheese mould as something else, but are chased from the Inn. They flee back to Lucky's Inn, where a lodger has died. Deciding to exploit the dead, they transport the corpse to Knox, breaking its spine to fit it into a barrel.

Ginny Hawkins, under the alias Helen McDougal, performs an extract from Macbeth in a bar to attract attention. Burke speaks with her and learns of her ambition to become an actress.

Burke and Hare present the mangled corpse to Knox at his castle, and Knox agrees to pay them for dissection. Knox decides to buy two bodies a week, creating a steady, grisly income. Burke hopes this will fund Ginny's acting dreams, while Hare wants the money to open a funeral parlour.

Back at the Inn, Lucky is drunk and distraught as Joseph lies near death. Burke and Hare decide to smother Joseph to steal his body and deliver it to Knox for a large payout.

Burke shares the good news with Ginny, and she greets the fortune with relief. Hare goes to the bar where Fergus, McTavish's henchman, is present, while Harrington and Wordsworth arrange for McLintock to hunt down the criminals and secure their hangings.

Hare is kidnapped by Danny McTavish, who orders him and Fergus to hand over their protection money. The capture underscores the criminals' peril as the net tightens.

McTavish's corpse arrives at Knox's dissecting theatre, causing outrage and chaos. Burke and Ginny are captured by McLintock just as they are about to make love.

Hare and Lucky are captured while they are having sex, and the group is imprisoned in separate cells. The captives learn that any admission of guilt will free the others, heightening the tension.

The prisoners are told that admitting to the murders will free the others, leading to a tense standoff. Burke agrees to confess, but only if he is placed in Ginny's cell so they can finally be together.

On the day of the hanging, Angus asks for Burke's last words. Burke declares 'I did it for love' while glancing at Ginny in the crowd. He is hanged, ending his and his partners' immediate arc.

Angus closes with the fates of the principal players, underscoring the grim ledger of their crimes. The camera lingers on Burke's skeleton in a present-day museum, sealing the story as a warning from history.