LitCharts Teacher Editions. The Sign of Four takes place in 1888 in London. In this story they solve a mystery of hidden treasure and murder. Mary Morstan, a single young woman who desires Holmes advice, soon visits the two. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The Sign of the Four begins at the Baker Street home of the infamous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant, Dr. John Watson.Holmes is a little bored, having no case to work on, and is injecting himself with cocaine—Watson disapproves of this bad habit. Holmes puts his cocaine usage down … A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The Sign of the Four begins rather controversially with Holmes engaging in the then-legal pastime of cocaine injections, much to Watsons disapproval. The Sign of the Four study guide contains a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Summary. Complete summary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Mary goes on to explain that she has received a letter instructing her to go, with the … The Sign of the Four Summary. Instant downloads of all 1350 LitChart PDFs (including The Sign of the Four). eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of The Sign of Four. The Sign of Four begins with Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in their rooms at 221B Baker Street; Watson observing, with some disdain, Holmes cocaine habit. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Sign of the Four” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It starts off with Dr. Watson explaining how he has watched Sherlock Holmes, his very intelligent friend, take cocaine three times a day for the past several months. Miss Morstan proceeds to explain that after her father disappeared under mysterious circumstances some ten years ago, she began receiving a large pearl in the mail at annual increments. Watson has been too afraid to stand up to Holmes and ask him to stop. The Sign of the Four is the second novel by Arthur Conan Doyle about master detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr John Watson. Spoiler Alert - Plot Summary for The Sign of Four.