A Series of Unfortunate Events: These Are the Books Covered in Netflix's TV Show

After their family mansion burns down and their parents are presumed dead, the Baudelaire siblings are sent to live with Count Olaf, a distant (and disgusting) relative who resides in a large, dilapidated home and only cares about stealing their inheritance. In addition to slapping them around, he forces them to cook and clean, all the while ironing out a plot to trick Violet into marrying him (since the fortune is bequeathed to her when she turns 18). He devises a plan in which she'll "play" a bride character in his upcoming production, and he'll "play" the groom, when in actuality the vows they speak on stage will be legally binding. With the help of some quick thinking on the part of Justice Strauss (Joan Cusack), they're able to wriggle out of his grip.

Once the orphans figure out a way to outwit Count Olaf, they're taken to the home of another distant relative in the second novel, Uncle Monty (Aasif Mandvi), who is their late father's cousin's wife's brother. They trust him immediately thanks to his overwhelmingly kind demeanor and are happy to discover he wants to take them on an expedition to Peru to aid in his snake research. Unfortunately his research assistant, Stefano, is not as he seems and soon throws another wrench into Violet, Klaus, and Sunny's chance at happiness.

The third book finds the kids living with their Aunt Josephine (Alfre Woodard) at Lake Lachrymose. Josephine's favorite things are grammar and being terrified of everything, but she's still a better guardian than Count Olaf. Sadly she jumps to her death out of the "wide window" in her home not long after meeting a charming sailor named Captain Sham (Olaf in disguise). The suicide note reinstates Olaf as their guardian (surprise, surprise), but the kids notice that the grammatical errors hidden in the note are actually clues to Josephine's true whereabouts, and they find themselves facing off against Olaf once again.

If you thought you'd seen the last of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny violating child labor laws in the first two episodes, think again. The children are sent to the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill to live with their new guardian, Sir, who makes them work in the old mill. Klaus ends up breaking his glasses after he's tripped by the foreman and must see an optometrist living nearby named Dr. Orwell. Count Olaf, in disguise as a female receptionist this time, arrives on the scene to help Dr. Orwell hypnotize Klaus into killing someone, which creates even more problems for the unfortunate orphans.