Quilp lusts after Little Nell and, hoping eventually to marry her after disposing of his wife, he lends money to her gambler grandfather knowing he will not be able to repay the loan. When the grandfather gambles the money away hoping to provide for Nell's future Quilp seizes The Old Curiosity Shop, forcing Nell and her grandfather to flee from London in an attempt to escape from Quilp, who tries to hunt down the couple as they journey across the country.