The story begins at the funeral of Dr Henry Jekyll. Well-respected, prosperous, and one of the greatest scientists of the nineteenth century, his belief had been that every man is truly two beings, cursed with the struggle of good and evil within him, and so to explore this theory, he creates a chemical compound to separate this duality.

With no consideration of the potentially horrible consequences, he tests his theory by drinking the potion himself.

What emerges from the experiment is a personality which is the polar opposite of the warm, kind and friendly Dr Jekyll. This new personality is a dark, evil and violent, alter ego whose name is Mr Edward Hyde.