Some kids have inherited a large fortune. However, they are stuck having Count Olaf as their guardian. He wants their money. He plans to marry the girl to claim the fortune and hatches a plan to do it (by means of acting a play.) However, he is somewhat foiled by the fact that she signed with a left hand. (Their guardian can authorize an under age marriage.) Alas, the kids are still not able to have a guardian they like. There are weird things that happen in not so good ways. The book is not a horror book, but there are pretty weird things going on.
Some kids think they are going to a guardian. However, they end up being put to work in a mill. Some people seem to blindly follow the orders, even though it seems against all regulations. They discover that is only the start of it. They are tasked with doing things they are unqualified for, only to be punished for not carrying them out. This all turns out to be part of an evil plot involving Count Olaf that is eventually uncovered. The book presents the bizarre in a matter-of-fact way. The characters have an inkling that something weird is going on, yet many go along with it. There are also plenty of random bits of explanation and definition on the way.