The events of the film take place in 1889. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are visited by country doctor Mortimer, who visited the detective's apartment the day before in his absence and forgot his cane there. Mortimer tells the legend of the Baskerville Hound, a hellish hound that has been haunting the Baskerville family of Devonshire for centuries, and reports the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, the owner of the Baskerville Hall estate. The newspapers write that Charles Baskerville's death was caused by a heart attack, allegedly he was very unwell, but Mortimer does not believe a word of them, since he found traces of a huge dog near the body of the deceased. Most of all, the doctor is worried about Henry Baskerville, the nephew and sole heir of Baskerville Hall, who has just arrived from Canada. Suspecting something fishy in this story, Holmes decided to take up the case.