Act I: Scene One

Serjeant Musgrave's Dance opens on a wharf in the north of England in 1880. Three British Army soldiers Hurst, Attercliffe, and Sparky are nervously waiting for the arrival of their superior officer, Serjeant Musgrave. The Bargee (barge driver) appears first, ready to drive the three soldiers to their destination on his barge. Musgrave arrives and the men depart.

Act I: Scene Two

At a public house in a small mining town, the Bargee enters and announces the soldiers' arrival to the pub's owner, Mrs. Hitchcock, and the Parson. The Parson infers that the soldiers have been sent to intercede in the local miner's strike. The Bargee tells him that they have come to recruit soldiers.

After the Parson leaves, the Bargee tells Mrs. Hitchcock and her barmaid, Annie, that the soldiers will stay at the pub or a nearby barn. Annie is apprehensive of the...