Act 1, Part 1 Summary

As the play opens, Charlie sits at the kitchen table of his childhood home in Ireland, sorting through some papers. His friend Oliver comes by to offer condolences on the recent death of Charlie's father. They talk about the funeral, how the death was sudden and unexpected, and how Charlie was in London when it happened. Their conversation shifts to the subject of their own lives, and they comment on how they haven't seen each other for fifteen years, compare notes about who has how many children, and reminisce about their childhoods - old expressions they used, movies they saw, and girls they dated. Charlie refers to a girl named Maureen who always believed that Oliver would be a great man. Oliver becomes quiet for a moment; then, as Charlie talks about how he used to model himself on a movie...