<P> Fourteen - year - old inventor Violet Baudelaire, her twelve - year - old brother Klaus, and their baby sister Sunny are orphaned when a fire burns down their house and kills their parents . Mr. Poe, the family's banker, manages their fortune and leaves them in the care of their closest relative Count Olaf, who is only interested in obtaining their fortune despite Violet not being the legal age of eighteen to obtain it . He also forces them to work through grueling house chores and belittles them . </P> <P> The day Olaf obtains full custody, he pretends to go into a store claiming to buy soda, but Violet notices the car is parked directly on train tracks with a train heading towards them . They manage to build a device to turn the switch controlling the tracks so that they are not hit . Mr. Poe arrives and takes them away when he sees Sunny in the front seat, believing her to have been "driving ." Olaf initially says farewell, but threatens them that they will always be found . </P> <P> The orphans are then taken to their uncle Dr. Montgomery, a kind, caring herpetologist who is planning to take the children with him to Peru . However, Olaf arrives in disguise as a man named Stephano . The orphans attempt to warn Montgomery, and he believes to an extent . Montgomery believes Stephano is after a large viper in his museum, which despite its looks, is actually very gentle . He is discovered dead shortly after, and the orphans cannot prove that Stephano is responsible for Montgomery's death . They are almost taken back to him when Sunny proves the viper's innocence when it fondles and licks her, disproving its hostile nature . Stephano flees the scene, ridding all proof of his disguise as the police pursue him . </P> <P> Mr. Poe leaves them with their Aunt Josephine, a kindly woman who is nonetheless obsessed with grammar and has irrational fears . Olaf appears disguised as Captain Sham to interfere with their plans again . One day, Josephine is not at the house, leaving what is apparently a suicide note; Klaus takes advantage of mistakes in the letter's grammar (which Josephine would never have tolerated) to decode her location; Curdled Cave . A hurricane sweeps through the town, ultimately destroying the house but allowing the children to flee before the structure falls apart . They sail to the cave and rescue her, but attract leeches due to Josephine having eaten a banana . Olaf appears and takes the kids with him, throwing Josephine off the boat and to the Lachrymose Leeches after she annoys him by correcting his speech . </P>

A series of unfortunate events cast jim carrey