Bookholder Nicholas Bracewell, fresh from his triumph holding together his volatile players' company during the unraveling of a treasonous plot against Queen Elizabeth, is set to make the galleries of The Queen's Head ring with laughter. Lord Westfield's Men stage a new comedy, The Merry Devils. It was written by two members of the troupe, and their patron will himself attend the premiere. The lugubrious landlord is sure mischief will result from the production. Nicholas sees only a harmless comedy in The Merry Devils, a play that has been cleared by the Master of Revels. It will not summon up devils, but two actors, both adept at tumbling. How then at the performance, during the crucial scene, do three devils appear on stage, one looking disturbingly real? And what of the demonic deeds that follow? One devil, in fact, soon lies dead beneath the stage...