A play in four acts. The narrative revolves around a Government minister named Sir Robert Chiltern whose successful career and happy marriage life are put under threat with the arrival into London society of Mrs. Cheveley, who appears to have in her possession evidence of Chiltern's past transgressions. Panicking, Chiltern turns to his friend the scandalous Lord Goring, who is familiar with Mrs. Cheveley and her own misdeeds. As with many of Wilde's plays, this play deals with such themes as aristocratic hypocrisy, the position of women, and public and private honour. Concentrating heavily on the idea of being forgiven for sins of the past, many believe that Wilde was speaking in fact from personal experience and his fear of repercussions for his own controversial private life.