The young attorney, Edgar Jennings Plum, reads the will of Samuel Westing. In it, Westing announces that each of the 16 heirs is his niece or nephew, that he has been murdered by one of them, and that he is the only one who knows the murderer’s name.

Westing asks the heirs to play a game and says that whoever wins “may strike it rich” (30). The letter has a strange way of anticipating people’s movements and actions. When J. J. Ford gets up to leave the room, the fifth article of the will reads: “Sit down, Your Honor” (30). Everyone is shocked.

Some light bickering and sarcasm occur before E. J. Plum resumes with the final part of the will, which demands a moment of silence in honor of Uncle Sam, or Mr. Westing.

The heirs enter a room filled with sport and gaming equipment. Each of the eight card tables has two chairs. Plum reads off the rules of the game: Each team of two receives $10,000 and a set of clues. If a partner forfeits, both partners lose the money and the game, and Plum will hold their clues until the next session.