The story opens with Dr. John Watson musing on the fact that Sherlock Holmes refers to Irene Adler as the woman, indicating his high regard for her. He then proceeds to retell the story of how Adler bested the consulting detective, earning his respect.

After Watson’s marriage, he and Holmes no longer spend much time together. One evening in March 1888, while returning home from a patient, the doctor decides to visit his friend, as they have not talked for quite some time. Holmes is happy to see Watson, and while they converse, the detective brings up his newest case. A letter received earlier in the day announced the impending visit of a client who wishes to remain incognito. Holmes has already deduced that the mysterious person is Bohemian. Watson (the narrator) says, “A man entered who could hardly have been less than six feet six inches in height, with the chest and limbs of a Hercules. His dress was rich with a richness which would, in England, be looked upon as akin to bad taste” (11).

He is wearing a mask and offers a fake name, but the detective guesses him to be the hereditary king of Bohemia.