Barry Berwick is an English murderer who is in prison in Minsk, Belarus for stabbing and killing his wife whilst on holiday in that country. Sherlock Holmes travels to Minsk in order for Berwick to plead his case to him. During the course of their chat, Sherlock keeps correcting the grammar Berwick uses to tell the story, which really angers the prisoner. He is doing this in order to test if Berwick is prone to anger, which he shows he is. Sherlock does not take the case, dismissing it later as clear-cut murder.