Written by Kenneth Berris & Steven Moses, The Manor would be a classic "whodunit" in the tradition of "The Usual Suspects" and "Sleuth", if it weren't for its "biting black comedy", it's "shocking and quirky twists", and it's rich "Merchant Ivory" look.

Set in turn of the century England, the story begins with an ominous opening sequence. With heightened sound effects and slow motion photography, a body brutally falls down a long, imposing staircase.

At the bottom of the staircase lies Patrick Roarke, the manor's handsome, but unfortunately quite dead footman.

As we look up to the top of the stairway, we see something lurking in the shadows. A brief glance reveals a silhouette slipping away from our sight, too obscure to be distinguished.

Seen only in partial, dreamlike glimpses, this brutal inciting incident shows the violent and ominous possibilities that lurk ahead for the investigating police inspector, Tomas Hatcher.

Hatcher must then interrogate the various women in the house. Each is sensuous, beautiful and eccentric in her own way. Sexual habits, violent tempers, and clandestine relationships all are revealed and add to the riddle of the murder.

He solves the mystery and the bigger problem, the truth, by desperate dogmatism and investigative brilliance. In the process, he wins the hearts of all the women in the house.