Act I
Scene 1:
Location: Home of William Mason, in the small town of Millidge, a town in the American Midwest.
Time: 6 o’clock on a summer evening, 1927.
The characters are all introduced and the family situation and tensions are all elucidated. The act opens with young Bill Mason (about 21 years old) on stage, followed by his father, William Mason. His daughter, Anne Mason, arrives late because she has been rehearsing a stage play. Corrie West appears, and it is obvious that Bill Mason cares for her, but is not financially successful enough in his auto business to tell her how he feels. Meanwhile, Corrie has become engaged to the son of the town’s bank president.

Scene 2
Location: Same.
Time: Midnight, same summer evening, 1927.
The bank has been robbed and we know that the wrong man was arrested. The house is dark. A strange figure enters and puts something on the couch. A minute later Bill Mason arrives. Then Jud Perkins, the town constable, arrives and arrests Bill for bank robbery.

Act II
Location: Same.
Time: Around 1 am, one hour later, summer evening, 1927.
The heroine declares her love for the thief, and he rejects her. Anne Mason’s fiancé forbids her to go on stage, and Anne agrees. Corrie West’s fiancé forbids Corrie, and Corrie breaks the engagement. Corrie finds out that Bill was arrested for bank robbery, and says to Bill that she would stick by the man she loved even if he was guilty. Bill rejects her outpouring of affection, wounding Corrie deeply.

Act III
Location: Home of Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Lord
Time: Three years later, 1930
The hero is threatened with prison. We discover that Bill Mason was not prosecuted for robbery, but the charge still hangs over his head. He is threatened with black mail, but refuses to give in. The marriage of Tracy and Anne is facing serious problems, but at the end of the act, Bill winds up with the girl he loves, financial success, and the two lucky girls have their careers on the stage after all.