The Housemaid Summary

Millie Calloway is desperate for work after losing her home. With a troubled past and a criminal record, she's been living in her car. No one wants to give her a chance until she finally gets hired as a live-in housemaid by the wealthy Winchester family, featuring a couple, Nina and Andrew. Millie is cautious but feels compelled to accept, seeing it as her only way out of her situation.

Upon arrival, Millie notices the house is in disarray. Nina behaves oddly; she's flighty and at times directly rude to Millie. Millie’s new room is small and odd—it's in the attic, locked from the outside, and has a painted-shut window with scratches on the door. This allraises Millie’s anxiety, leaving her feeling trapped and uncomfortable in her new job.

Nina struggles with infertility and shows signs of emotional instability, in part from her rocky relationship with Andrew. While Andrew is charming and handsome, there’s a darker side to him; he is controlling. The tension in the household is palpable, especially between Millie and Nina. An argument arises when Nina accuses Millie of discarding key notes, even though Millie knows she did no such thing. Anxious to keep the peace, Millie apologizes.

In the chaotic environment, Millie finds herself growing closer to Andrew. After a series of awkward events, he invites her to dinner, where they both drink too much and their relationship spirals; they end up sleeping together. This decision sets off a subsequent string of complications, as Millie becomes further entangled in the intimate conflict involving Nina and Andrew.

As time passes, the concealed horrors of the Winchester household reveal themselves. It turns out that Andrew has been abusive to Nina, isolating her in the attic as punishment, always under threat due to Nina's past. Nina was once institutionalized for eight months; during that time, Andrew worked to convince her that her traumas were mere hallucinations. His methods are ruthless—deliberate psychological manipulation aimed at keeping Nina submissive.

The balance shifts when Nina discovers the affair. Andrew reacts violently, expelling Nina from their home and firing their landscaper—who was an unwitting witness to the affair. With Andrew asserting his dominance, the tensions grow all the more dangerous for Millie.

Ultimately, Andrew shifts his focus to Millie, aiming to inflict on her the same control and punishment he had used on Nina. However, Millie has discovered a way to defend herself. With pepper spray found in the attic room, she fights back against Andrew, locking him away and reversing the abuse she’s faced. This moment of resilience showcases her strength; however, It also highlights her past as an ex-con with a history muddled by violence.

Nina, aware of Millie's troubled history when hiring her, hoped that she might eventually replace her in Andrew's life. In a twist, Andrew dies in the confrontation. Nina offers to take responsibility for his death, as ridding herself of him has long been her wish. Following an investigation, connections surface, tying Andrew’s past abuses to unresolved traumas of others - leading to the case being ruled an accident.

In the epilogue, Millie is on the lookout for yet another job. She interviews for a cleaning position, with a hint that the new employer may want her to address her husband's abusive behavior too; this suggests Millie's complex path tied to darkness may not yet be

The Housemaid wraps up with a shocking twist: Nina Winchester, who seemed like a victim, actually planned her escape from her abusive husband Andrew by having Millie come in as the new housemaid. When she finds out about Millie and Andrew's affair, Andrew leaves Nina, and Nina takes her daughter away. Millie, now trapped again, becomes Andrew's victim, locked in the attic and mistreated.

With a can of pepper spray that Nina left for her, Millie turns the tables, locking Andrew in the attic and forcing him to do absurd and humiliating things until he ultimately meets his end there. When Nina arrives, she suggests taking the blame for his death, but the police officer looks the other way, knowing about Andrew's past abuse.

At Andrew's funeral, it’s revealed that his mother disciplined him by pulling out his teeth, explaining his missing teeth. In the epilogue, Nina has relocated to California, and Millie, now empowered, starts a new job. She helps another woman who has faced abuse, showing the continuous cycle of revenge and support among those who have suffered.