Act 1, Part 1 Summary

The narrative and themes of this play focus on the various roles of women in society and relationships. Its action is anchored by the story of Marlene, a successful businesswoman in early eighties Britain with an unsuccessful personal life. A broad narrative scope combines with well-individualized characters and realistic dialogue to create the sense of a heightened theatrical reality grounded by genuine, deeply experienced humanity.

Marlene arrives at a restaurant, tells a Waitress that one of her guests is going to be late and orders a bottle of wine. As the Waitress goes, Isabella arrives and congratulates Marlene. Marlene speaks self-deprecatingly about her accomplishments and comments that she'd love to be able to travel like Isabella, saying she hates sitting still. This leads Isabella to compare her own wandering life with that of her stay-at-home sister Hennie, and Marlene mentions in...