Act 1, Part 1 Summary

The scene is set in the examining room of an insane asylum. There are entrances to the main hall; the dispensary, where the drugs are kept; the wards, where the patients are kept; and the garden, where the plants are kept.

Geraldine Barclay arrives for a job interview with Dr. Prentice. She is carrying a large box. As Dr. Prentice conducts the interview, Geraldine reveals that the box contains pieces of a statue of Winston Churchill that exploded, killing her mother. She explains that she was adopted and she never knew who her real mother and father were. Geraldine says that her mother was sexually assaulted at the Station Hotel and after giving birth gave her up for adoption. Dr. Prentice mentions that he once stayed at the Station Hotel, then continues the interview. He talks Geraldine into removing her clothes...