We first meet the precocious Baudelaire children in The Bad Beginning. The three siblings discover that their wealthy parents have died in a terrible fire. Mr. Poe, a family friend, puts them under the care of a distant relative, the nefarious Count Olaf, who lives in a derelict house filled with disturbing eye images.
Olaf, keen on stealing on Violet's fortune, cast the children in his play so that he can trick Violet into marrying him. When the show finally takes place, Violet signs the marriage certificate with her left hand, which invalidates the marriage since she's right-handed. Olaf's plan fails but he manages to escape.