Summary (up to Ch. 30)

• Introduction to Chancery, the biased view of the Court of Chancery stated by the third person narrator, introduction to Lady and Sir Dedlock, and their family lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn. 
• Mr. Tulkinghorn gives the Dedlock's a summary of his day in court during the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case, and produces a document for them to read. Lady Dedlock sees the handwriting, asks who copied the page for them (as everything was handwritten back then), and faints. 
• Introduction to Esther and her horrible childhood with her godmother. Up until her godmother dies, Esther has been told how much better life would be if she had never been born, and told various Bible quotes that put down having children out of wedlock. Al is awesome. I love al. After her Godmother dies, Mr. Kenge, collects her and sends for her so she can train to be a governess at Mr. Jarndyce's ward. Introduction to Ada, Richard, and a crazy old lady. 
• On the way to Mr. Jarndyce's quarters, they have to make a stop at Mrs. Jellyby's and stay the night. Mrs. Jellyby lives in shambles because she is too busy fixing Africa to look after her children. Introduction to Caddy, Mrs. Jellyby's oldest daughter (and letter scribe) when she breaks down in tears over her living conditions and her mother's treatment of her siblings (Pee Pee and others). Esther takes care of the children the best she can and attempts to console Caddy. 
• The next morning the four of them (Esther, Ada, Richard, and Caddy) take a walk and end up in the neighborhood of the Court of Chancery. There they see the old women who takes them to a scary little "hobby shop" nicknamed the Court of Chancery, declared rightly so because it contains only garbage and nothing is for sale. Introduction to a man named Krook, the owner of the strange shop. The old woman shows the kids a cage full of birds that she is going to release of "Judgement Day". While leaving the shop, the old woman tells them to be quiet while passing in front of the door of a law writer/page copier. 
• Before the introduction of Mr. Jarndyce, Mr. Kenge tells them that his least favorite thing in the world is to be thanked, and Esther, Ada, and Richard despair at this. When they arrive, Jarndyce asks them about Mrs. Jellyby's, and after a few moments of pleasant stuttering, admit to how bad their stay was. 
• Introduction to Skimpole, a mooch off of Mr. Jarndyce. He avoids all responsibilities even though he has a family, and eventually asks Esther for money to get out of going to debtors prison. He shows no shame in asking, and Esther wonders how he gets out of his responsibilities.
• Introduction to Rosa and Mrs. Rouncewell, who has two sons in the army, and one grandson visiting the castle. Watt is busy checking out Rosa when Rosa opens the door to find Mr. Guppy and Mr. Tulkinghorn. Mr. Guppy freaks out when he sees the protrait of Lady Dedlock, swearing he's seen the painting or the woman before, although that's impossible, and then Mrs. Rouncewell describes the logic behind "Ghost Walk". 
• Jarndyce and Esther have a conversation about the J&J case and Richard's future in a mildly-romantic, mildly-paternal way, and Mrs. Pardiggle hits up Jarndyce for funding. She takes Esther and Ada to a house to harass a brickmaker .
• Introduction to Mr. Boythorn and his bird. They have a dinner and talk about the land-dispute between the Liecesters and the Dedlocks, and after dinner, Mr. Guppy purposes to Esther out of no where. She says no. 
• Mr. Tulkinghorn goes over to the Snagsby's house to find out who wrote the documents Lady Dedlock overreacted about. Mr. Snagsby says they were written by a man named Nemo, or "no one". 
• Mr. Tulkinghorn and Krook find Nemo dead in his apartment. Introduction to Joe, a street boy, because he is the only person who can testify at Nemo's trial since he has no family, but he is said to be too unsophisticated to be believed. Nemo is given a paupers burial and Joe cries at the gates the cemetery. 
• Lady Dedlock and Tulkinghorn meet to discuss the letters she overreacted about previously, and they meet at a gathering she is having for elitists. He says that the writer is dead and there is no way to find out who he was, or even his name. 
• Richard confesses his love to Ada. 
• Esther goes to visit the Jellyby's and finds out that Caddy is getting married to Prince Turveydrop. She meets Prince's father and he is in the perfect state of "deportment" (a.k.a. he has good manners). Turns out Prince works at a dance studio and wears cheap clothing so his father can remain decked-out in the goods. They go visit Mrs. Flite who then introduces them to her birds: Hope, Joy, Youth, Peace, Rest, Life, Dust, Ashes, Wast, Want, Ruin, Despair, Madness, Death, Cunning, Folly, Words, Wigs, Rages, Sheepskin, Plunder, Precedent, Jargon Gammon and Spinach.
• Mr. Skimpole comes back into the picture and talks about a family that is suffering from the fathers profession. When they seek them out, Tom, a five year old, is taking care of Emma, an eighteen month old baby, in a tiny, freezing-cold apartment. Charley, the oldest girl at thirteen, works as a laundress for very little money. The man from downstairs comes up during their visit to get the kids to play with them and give them a cookie.
• Joe is found by a mysterious woman who pays him a lot of money to show her where Nemo worked, where he lived, and where he was buried. Joe does it but doesn't understand why. 
• Esther and Jarndyce are worried about Ada since Richard has decided to go into studying law, and may be unable to support her in the future. 
• Jarndyce, Skimpole, and Esther go to visit Mr. Boythorn, who is neighbors with Mr. Leicester. There, she sees Lady Dedlock and begins having flashbacks about her past. 
• Mr. and Mrs. Snagsby are having tea with a man named Chadband who makes super long speeches about nothing when there is knock at the door. It is Joe being held by a police officer. Joe tells them about the woman who came to him and gave him a bunch of money. Then, Mr. Guppy enters the shop. The cop leaves and Mr. Chadband says that Mrs. Chadband took care of someone named Esther Summerson, which surprises Guppy for some reason.  
• Introduction to Mr. George and Mr. "Weevel". Bart Smallweed and  Guppy have lunch with Tony, and Guppy gets him a job with Krook under the guise of Mr. Weevel. Then, once they are finished with lunch, they return to the Smalllweed's house. There we meet Mr. George, an ex-army man who owns a small rifle range. He has debt with Mr. Smallweed. Mr. Smallweed is trying to hunt down a man named Hawdon for some unpaid debt, but he is dead. 
• Snagsby goes to see Tulkinghorn, but they are not alone, Introduction to Mr. Bucket, a detective. He wants to ask Mr. Snagsby a couple questions so they go to Tom All-Alones (on the way there he asks if Snagsby knows a criminal named Gridley). Bucket wants to find Joe so he can find out who the mysterious woman who gave him money is. When they find him, he sees a woman dressed the same but with a different voice, and different hands. Bucket pays him and Joe leaves. Once the woman removes her headdress, we see it is Hortense, the spited maid. 
• Hortense then goes and sees Esther looking for a job, but Esther says no and Hortense storms off.  The next time Esther sees Richard, she confronts him about his seemingly pathless way of life and he tells her he wants to buy stock in the army so he can be an officer. Then, Esther goes to see Caddy who wants her to come with her and Prince to tell their parents about their relationship. Mr. Turveydrop insists he is going to be with them until the day he dies (since he has no independent source of income) and Mrs. Jellyby doesn't seem to care. When Esther returns home, she finds that Jarndyce has given her a maid: Charley! She is now working for Esther, Tom is in school, and Emma is being taken care of. Yay!
• Richard and Ada break off their engagement and Richard goes into the army. Before that, however, Esther and Richard go to London where they meet Mr. George, who is shocked because Esther looks so familiar, and recieve an urgent message from Gridley to find Mrs. Flite and bring her to him. Mr. Bucket is there in disguise as a doctor, but Gridley dies holding Mrs. Flite's hand. 
• Joe is hunted down and brought to Snagsby's house by Chadband (the talking guy) and Mrs. Snagsby has her suspicions that Mr. Snagsby is Joe's father (completely incorrect). 
• Formal introduction to Phil, Mr. George's assistant who is hideously ugly and socially awkward. Mr. Smallweed comes into the shooting gallery with Judy, his granddaughter, because he wants a sample of Hawdon's handwriting. Mr. George doesn't want to give him one. Mr. Smallweed lets it slip that Richard has been borrowing money from him, and MR. George tries to convince him to leave him alone. Mr. George agrees to go with Smallweed, and Smallweed sees him slip something into his pocket before he leaves.  
• The lawyer who wants the paper is Tulkinghorn. George says maybe to the agreement and goes to consult the Bagnet's-- a super awesome family. They hangout all night, Mrs. Bagnet tells Mr. George to not get involved with Tulkinghorn, and he takes her advice. He goes to give Tulkinghorn the final no, but his doors are locked.
• Chapter 28 is basically a bunch of nonsense about Watt Rouncewell and Rosa the maid being in love but not being able to get married because of their social statuses. Mr. Dedlock doesn't think Mr. Rouncewell is high enough up for any kind of social job, and Mr. Rouncewell doesn't think that Rosa is high enough up to marry his son.
• During a gathering held by the Dedlocks, Lady Dedlock is avoiding Mr. Tulkinghorn all night. Mr. Guppy is introduced and is trying to make a case with Lady Dedlock that Esther is somehow related to their family line. He says: Esther looks a lot like Lady Dedlock, Mrs. Chadband (a woman who watched Esther) says Esther's real name was Esther Hawdon, Nemo's real name was Hawdon. Mr. Guppy leaves after promising to bring Lady Dedlock back some letters that Hawdon wrote to him. 
• LADY DEDLOCK IS ESTHER'S MOTHER AND HER "GODMOTHER" HAD STOLEN HER AFTER TELLING LADY DEDLOCK THAT SHE HAD DIED SHORTLY AFTER BEING BORN. 
• Mrs. Woodcourt goes to visit Jarndyce. Then Esther helps Caddy with her wedding which is lovely, but uneventful.