The Upturned Glass

Michael Joyce, a Harley Street brain specialist, is unhappily married and separated from his wife. His personal life is strained, leaving him emotionally distant. This vulnerability sets the stage for his later entanglement with Emma Wright.

Emma Wright brings her young daughter Ann for consultation, and Michael finds himself drawn to her. A romantic interest develops, though Emma's own commitments prevent any immediate marriage. The seed of an affair is planted in the shadow of the consultation room.

Michael and Emma begin a romantic affair, but neither can commit to marriage due to existing obligations. The relationship remains clandestine and undermined by practical constraints, ending almost as soon as it starts.

Emma Wright dies after falling from a second‑story bedroom at her country manor. The death shocks her family and becomes the catalyst for the ensuing investigation. The circumstances are mysterious and confusing to those left behind.

Michael attends the coroner's inquest into Emma's death, where Ann and Emma's sister‑in‑law Kate Howard testify. Emma's death is ruled accidental. Michael walks away unsettled, already suspicious of foul play.

Despite the verdict, Michael suspects foul play in Emma's death and begins to look for clues that the inquest missed. He refuses to accept the official explanation and resolves to uncover the truth on his own terms.

To gain information about Emma's death, Michael begins a romance with Kate Howard, who is Emma's sister‑in‑law and believes Emma was seeing someone else. Kate does not know that Michael was Emma's lover, which adds tension to their alliance. The romance doubles as a strategic ploy rather than genuine affection.

Michael discovers Kate intends to blackmail Emma for financial gain, hoping to extract money from Emma's affairs. He confronts the plan, recognizing it as a setup for further harm. The motive reveals a deep, dangerous level of manipulation within the circle.

Feeling a perceived injustice, Michael decides to take matters into his own hands. He drives Kate to Emma's country house and manipulates her into the same upper‑storey bedroom from which Emma fell, planning to push her out. This marks the move from investigation to murder.

Michael pushes Kate out the window, retrieves her corpse from the courtyard, and places it in the back of the car. He drives toward the cliffs by the sea with the aim of disposing of her body. The act completes his violent act of vengeance, at least on the surface.

En route to the sea, Michael encounters a stranded doctor who asks for a ride to the home of a patient. The doctor asks for a second opinion, and Michael examines a 12‑year‑old girl with a head injury, deciding she might have a chance. He helps save her life, providing a humane counterpoint to his darker actions.

As Michael resumes his journey with Kate's body toward the sea, he confronts his own sanity and doubts whether he remains a 'valuable member of society.' He stands at the cliff's edge, looks down toward the sea, and then falls to his death.