Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

This play tells the story of a clever, extremely intellectual writer's first true experiences of love. The style of the play is a reflection of its substance - as the playwright moves from superficiality to deeper understanding, the play itself becomes less defined by its external characteristics (witty dialogue, detours into apparently unrelated conversations) and more defined by the universal truth, the "real thing," at the core of his experience.

Max is building a house of cards as a door opens offstage. He shouts out a warning not to slam the door just as the door slams and the house of cards collapses. He greets his wife, Charlotte, just returned from an apparent trip to Switzerland, in a witty and occasionally rambling style, that to Charlotte seems unusual. She asks if something's wrong, and Max reveals that he discovered Charlotte's passport...