This cautionary tale begins when Major Morris of the British army in India shares the tale of a troublesome monkey s paw with a married couple Mr. and Mrs. White and their only son Herbert. Morris says the superstition is that the paw s possessor is granted three wishes but that meddling with fate can get quite tricky. Mr. White disregards the old soldier s warning and becomes set on retrieving the monkeys paw after Morris has pitched it into a fire.