David Olusoga pays his first visit to Ravensworth Terrace and investigates a vengeful lawyer, a scientist faced with financial ruin and a doctor entangled in a workhouse scandal.

In this episode, David Olusoga follows the residents of the house through the early 20th century. The house is now being run as a boarding house by 41-year-old single mum Grace Eagle, who lives there with two of her children, Henry and Leonora. Curious to find out more about Grace's circumstances, David uncovers a series of newspaper articles which reveal a furious public dispute about money between Grace and her estranged husband, Henry Eagle.