SetupHarlan's birthday partyThe Thrombey family gathers at Harlan's estate for his birthday party.DeceptionRansom switches the medicinesserious dangerRansom swaps Harlan's medicines in an attempt to make Marta kill Harlan unknowingly.RevelationMarta believes she poisoned Harlanserious dangerMarta identifies the correct medication by its viscosity without reading the label, then reads the label on the bottle with switched contents and believes she injected lethal morphine.PlanHarlan directs a false alibiserious dangerTo protect Marta from blame, Harlan instructs her to be seen leaving, sneak back through a window, and disguise herself as him so he appears alive after she left.LossHarlan cuts his throatemergency dangerAfter instructing Marta to create the false alibi, Harlan slits his own throat.DeceptionMarta carries out the alibiserious dangerMarta is seen leaving the house, sneaks back in through a window, and disguises herself as Harlan.RevelationFran discovers Harlan deadserious dangerThe next morning, Harlan's housekeeper Fran discovers his body with a slit throat.RevelationDetectives suspect suicideLieutenant Elliot and Trooper Wagner believe Harlan died by suicide.DeceptionRansom hires Blanc anonymouslyAfter Harlan's death is reported as a suicide, Ransom anonymously hires private detective Benoit Blanc to investigate.ClueFran sees crime-scene tamperingserious dangerFran sees Ransom tampering with the crime scene to remove the switched medications.CommunicationFran sends a blackmail noteserious dangerFran sends Ransom a blackmail note containing a partial photocopy of Harlan's toxicology report.ClueBlanc learns family motivesBlanc uncovers Harlan's strained relationships with family members and their plausible motives for murder.DeceptionMarta gives incomplete answersserious dangerQuestioned about the case, Marta gives accurate but incomplete answers and conceals evidence incriminating her; she cannot lie without vomiting.DecisionMarta assists BlancMarta agrees to help Blanc with his investigation.ReversalMarta inherits Harlan's estateAt the reading of Harlan's will, Marta is bequeathed his entire fortune and property, stunning the Thrombeys.JourneyRansom helps Marta fleeRansom helps Marta flee after the will reading.DeceptionRansom bargains for a shareserious dangerRansom manipulates Marta into confessing to him and offers further help in exchange for part of her inheritance.ConflictFamily pressures Martaserious dangerThe Thrombeys unsuccessfully try to make Marta renounce the inheritance and threaten to have her undocumented mother deported.DeceptionRansom forwards the noteserious dangerAfter realizing Marta was not responsible for Harlan's death but believed she was, Ransom forwards Fran's blackmail letter to Marta and burns down the medical examiner's office to destroy evidence of her innocence.DeceptionRansom drugs Franemergency dangerRansom overdoses Fran with morphine, intending for Marta to be caught with Fran's corpse.ObstacleThe examiner's office is burnedMarta and Ransom drive to the medical examiner's office and find that it has burned down.CommunicationMarta receives a meeting emailMarta receives an email proposing a meeting with the blackmailer.ConflictPolice arrest Ransomserious dangerBlanc and the police spot Marta and Ransom, leading to Ransom being arrested.RescueMarta aids drugged Franemergency dangerAt the meeting, Marta finds Fran drugged, performs CPR, and calls an ambulance.CommunicationMarta confesses to Blancserious dangerMarta confesses to Blanc about her part in what she believes was Harlan's death.RevelationMarta learns Ransom implicated herserious dangerMarta discovers that Ransom has already implicated her.DecisionMarta prepares to confessserious dangerOut of moral obligation, Marta believes she must confess to the Thrombeys, which would invalidate her bequest under the slayer rule.ClueFran's report shows trace morphineAt the mansion, Marta finds Fran's copy of the full toxicology report, which shows only trace amounts of morphine in Harlan's blood.RevelationBlanc reveals the schemeserious dangerBlanc tells the police, Marta, and Ransom that Harlan told Ransom about the will, prompting Ransom to switch the medicines; Marta had given Harlan the correct medication by recognizing its viscosity. Blanc also explains that Ransom hired him to entrap Marta, Fran saw Ransom remove the switched medicines and sent the blackmail note, and Ransom burned the office and overdosed Fran.LossFran dies from the overdoseserious dangerThe hospital calls Marta and informs her that Fran has died from her overdose.DeceptionMarta says Fran is aliveserious dangerWith no evidence of Ransom committing murder, Marta tells the group Fran is alive while suppressing her urge to vomit.CommunicationRansom implicates himselfserious dangerTricked by Marta's lie, Ransom confirms his involvement in Fran's overdose and inadvertently confesses to murder.ConflictRansom attacks with a stage knifeserious dangerRansom attacks Marta with a knife from Harlan's collection, but it is a harmless retractable stage knife.ResolutionPolice take Ransom into custodyThe police promptly arrest Ransom after his attack on Marta.RevelationBlanc explains Marta's innocenceBlanc tells Marta he suspected early on that she played a part in Harlan's death, noting a drop of blood on her shoe; he says her ethical choices obstructed Ransom's attempts to incriminate her.AftermathMarta watches from her mansionAs Ransom is taken into custody and the defeated family gathers outside, Marta watches from the balcony of her mansion, sipping from Harlan's mug: “My House, My Rules, My Coffee!!”