Bleak House by Charles Dickens follows the endless legal case Jarndyce and Jarndyce, an inheritance dispute that slowly ruins everyone involved.
The story focuses on Esther Summerson, an orphan raised at Bleak House, and the people around her. One of them, Richard Carstone, becomes obsessed with the lawsuit and eventually destroys his own life by chasing the expected inheritance.
A hidden family secret connects Lady Dedlock to Esther, revealing that Esther is her daughter. This leads to revelations and a murder investigation led by Inspector Bucket.
In the end, the court case is finally closed, but almost all the inheritance has been wasted on legal costs.