The events take place in the imaginary village of Kiekendon in Western Flanders (now part of Belgium). A prosperous scholar, Dr. Ox, goes to the authorities and offers to build a new system of gas lighting for the city for free. The proposal is gladly accepted. However, the doctor’s secret plan is to run a large-scale experiment to study the effect of oxygen on plants, animals, and people—so he pumps an excess of invisible, odorless gas into all the lamps. The enriched air has a noticeable impact on the city…