During a conversation about literary forgeries, Erskine tells his young guest that he has received - as a legacy from a friend, the Cambridge scholar Cyril Graham -what is purported to be an Elizabethan portrait. The painting depicts a beautiful young man in late-sixteenth-century costume, whom Graham believed to be Willie Hughes, a boy actor serving in Shakespeare's company. This revelation prompts Erskine's guest to delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the real identity of the dedicatee and the inspiration of Shakespeare's Sonnets, with unforeseen consequences. The Portrait of Mr W.H is an engaging and entertaining narrative exploring the intricate facets of trust and betrayal, historical truth and fiction.