It should be a happy day in Mrs Alving's household, on the day of her son's return from Paris and the eve of the opening of an orphanage dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Captain Alving. However, as final preparations are being made with Pastor Manders, old family secrets unravel the perceived identities of the key players. In a rigidly structured society the consequences are nothing short of disastrous. Ibsen's Ghosts, in Richard Harris's accomplished new version, offers a bleak view of the human condition.