By

Violet Baudelaire-Oldest of the Baudelaire siblings. Skill-Inventor Klaus Baudelaire-Middle Baudelaire, only boy. Skill-Researcher Sunny Baudelaire-Youngest Baudelaire. Skill- Teeth Count Olaf-Former acquaintance on the Baudelaire parents. Occupation- After the Baudelaire siblings & the Baudelaire fortune. Esmé Gigi Geniveve Squalor-Mulctuary’s sixth most important financial adviser, wife of Jerome Squalor. Occupation- Count Olaf’s girlfriend. Jerome Squalor-Doesn’t like to argue, husband of Esmé Squalor. Profession-Volunteer at V.F.D.

 The Baudelaire orphans are informed by Mr. Poe that he will be going on a three week helicopter ride to look for their close friends the Quagmire triplets. Who had previously been captured by Count Olaf.  When Mr. Poe finishes talking he realizes they have arrived at the apartment building of the Baudelaire’s new guardians, Mr. & Mrs. Squalor.  Address of apartment-667 Dark Avenue

 After walking up an unbearable number of stairs the Baudelaires finally reach the penthouse apartment of Jerome & Esmé Squalor.  About a week later, Esmé announces that Jerome and the Baudelaires need to leave the apartment for a while, because she is expecting the company of Gunther the auctioneer.  Gunther arrives earlier than expected and is immediately identified as Count Olaf by Sunny, but her sibling don’t understand her. As soon as her siblings look at him they realize that Sunny was trying to say Olaf. When the Baudelaires try to explain that Gunther is indeed Count Olaf in disguise, Esmé insists that they apologize and leave.  When the Baudelaires and Jerome arrive at the restaurant that Esmé reserved for them, Violet, Klaus, & Sunny try to make Jerome believe that Gunther is really Count Olaf, but he doesn’t like arguing so he says to stop worrying about Gunther.

 After making a ersatz (substitute) rope Violet, Klaus, & Sunny climb down the dark fake elevator shaft. When they get to the bottom they find the Quagmire triplets in a cage. They look tired and hungry.  After talking to Duncan and Isadora the Baudelaires climb back up to the penthouse to make ersatz welding torches out of fire tongs. (The welding torches are suppose to melt the bars on the cage.)  When they finally make it back to the cage the Quagmires aren’t there. The Baudelaires then climb back up to the penthouse to find out where Gunther/Olaf could have taken them.  The three siblings find out that Gunther will be smuggling the Quagmires out of town during The In Auction in Lot #50 V.F.D.  The Baudelaires then tell Esmé about the situation. After asking the children to show her the fake elevator shaft she pushes them into it. Luckly she had hung a net some where on the way down. The Baudelaires landed safely and a bit confused. Violet then yells up to Esmé “You’re our guardian! You’re suppose to be keeping us safe, not throwing us down elevator shafts and stealing our fortune!” Esmé then replies ”But I want to steal from you, I want to steal from you the way Beatrice (the Baudelaire’s mother) stole from me.”  The rest of the conversation is about Esmé being wealthy already then Esmé leaves laughing.

 Sunny climbs the elevator shaft with her teeth and returns with the ersatz rope. Which the Baudelaires use to climb back down to the cage, where the three pick up the cooled welding torches and travel underground under the city.  They reach a dead end. They look up to find light coming in through a line in the ceiling. They decide to poke the ceiling with the welding torches. This results in them finding out that the ceiling is a trap door.  When they get through the trap door the find that it lead to their old house that Count Olaf burned down. Across the street they find The In Auction.

 Violet, Klaus, & Sunny go inside the building, only to find a huge group of people looking at Gunther and Esmé. They find Jerome and ask him to bid on Lot #50. He agrees, then Mr. Poe appears and starts bidding on Lot #49, but looses.  After the bid gets too high Jerome backs out. Sunny then bids one thousand dollars and wins. The Baudelaires then go on stage to confront Esmé and Count Olaf and free the Quagmire triplets.. During confrontation Esmé insults Jerome and reveals that she is Count Olaf’s girlfriend.  Violet then then lifts up the box only to find out that V. F.D stood for Very Fancy Dollies.(Dollies are fancy napkins.)Right after Violet reveals the dollies Count Olaf and Esmé run toward the door. Whilst Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are chasing Olaf and Esmé people start slipping on the very fancy dollies.  When the Baudelaires get out side they find one of Count Olaf’s henchmen putting Lot #49 in the back of a truck that Olaf and Esmé are in. At that moment they realize that Lot #50 had been a red herring.(A distraction and misleading clue.) Lot #49 was the lot that Olaf had hid the Quagmire triplets in. as soon as Olaf’s henchman finished he got in the truck and pulled off leaving the three siblings weeping with anguish (distress or misery)and frustration.