In the drawing rooms of London and the gardens of Hertfordshire, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff maintain elaborate fictions—Jack's dissolute brother Ernest and Algernon's invalid friend Bunbury—that grant them freedom from Victorian propriety. When both men pursue romantic engagements under the name Ernest, their deceptions entangle Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew in a web of imaginary courtships, diary-recorded fantasies, and name-based devotion. The comedy unravels through Lady Bracknell's formidable interrogation, a handbag's improbable provenance, and the final recognition that fiction has been fact from the start.
Lady Bracknell immediately forbids Gwendolen’s engagement to Jack, citing his lack of connections and parentage. She then turns her attention to Algernon, inquiring about the death of his invalid friend Mr. Bunbury. Algernon claims Bunbury has exploded, a lie Lady Bracknell accepts as a sign of definite action under medical advice. Upon discovering that Algernon is holding hands with Cecily, Lady Bracknell demands an inquiry into the girl’s origins. She is horrified to learn that Cecily has connections to the railway, but Jack produces documentation proving Cecily is the granddaughter of the late Mr. Thomas Cardew and has solicitors of the highest standing. When Jack casually mentions Cecily’s fortune of a hundred and thirty thousand pounds, Lady Bracknell’s demeanor instantly shifts. She declares Cecily a most attractive young lady with distinct social possibilities and grants Algernon her consent to marry.
Jack, emboldened by this success, presses his own suit. Lady Bracknell remains firm until she recognizes him as the baby she once placed in a handbag years ago. She summons Miss Prism, who confesses that she was entrusted with the baby and a manuscript for a three-volume novel. In a moment of absent-mindedness at Victoria Station, she accidentally placed the manuscript in the bassinet and the baby in the handbag. Through this revelation, Jack discovers he is actually Lady Bracknell’s nephew and that his given name is Ernest. With his true identity revealed and his parentage established, Lady Bracknell finally gives her consent for him to marry Gwendolen. The play concludes with Jack embracing Gwendolen, relieved that he has been speaking the truth all along in his intention to be Ernest.
Lady Bracknell’s recognition of Jack as her long-lost nephew appears to resolve the question of his parentage, yet the terms of Cecily’s inheritance create a new obstacle to the couples’ happiness. Jack’s position as guardian gives him unexpected leverage in the final negotiation.
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