Act I, Scene I
On a tempestuous spring night, two Englishmen stride into a rustic log cabin lodge nestled in Tilghman County, Georgia, just a couple of hours south of Atlanta. Staff Sergeant "Froggy" LeSueur and his downhearted friend, Charlie Baker, find themselves under the warm roof of Betty Meeks' fishing retreat. Each year, Froggy teaches demolition to the American army over a weekend. This time, he brings along Charlie, hoping to lift his spirits. Back in England, Charlie's wife languishes, seemingly at death's door.

Upon their arrival, Charlie's melancholy remains unshaken. For nearly three decades, he's toiled as a proofreader for a science fiction magazine, a job that his wife deems so monotonous that she regularly seeks solace in other men. Typically tongue-tied and awkward in social situations, Charlie now dreads the idea of being left with strangers while Froggy conducts his training. Froggy vows to devise a plan to shield Charlie from social interactions.

While speaking privately with Betty, Froggy uncovers Betty’s precarious situation: her cherished lodge is on the verge of being condemned by the county inspector, Owen Musser, due to supposed safety hazards. Betty’s current guests include Catherine Simms, an heiress of substantial local wealth, her fiancé Reverend David Marshall Lee, and Catherine's "half-wit" brother, Ellard. If the lodge is sold, Catherine and David intend to purchase it.

With a spark of ingenuity, Froggy concocts a plan to protect Charlie. He informs Betty that Charlie is a bashful foreigner embarrassed by his lack of English comprehension and requests she not engage him in conversation. Betty is thrilled at the prospect of hosting an international guest. Meanwhile, Charlie confides to Froggy that he doubts his ability to maintain the charade. Froggy reassures Charlie, suggesting he explain the joke to Betty later. Yet, when Catherine stumbles upon the scene, unaware of Charlie's presence, she furiously confronts David with her pregnancy news. Discovering Charlie, she accuses him of intruding on her "very private conversation." Just as Charlie attempts to excuse himself, Betty enters and reinforces the ruse, believing "an' Frog wouldn't lie to me," anchoring Charlie in Froggy's audacious scheme.

Malicious Owen Musser then storms in, prompting all to exit except for Charlie and David. Speaking freely before the "foreigner," Owen and David reveal their plot to transform Betty’s lodge into a Ku Klux Klan base—masked as a "good Christian hunt club." They plan to let the lodge be condemned, allowing David to acquire it with Catherine's wealth. To keep the inheritance to themselves, David ensures Ellard remains perceived as simple-minded, employing tricks like substituting carrots for candles and strategically placing half-eaten apples to undermine Ellard's reputation.

Act I, Scene II
With the first light of morning, Betty wrestles with Ellard’s clumsiness as he fumbles to retrieve sauerkraut from the cellar below. Meanwhile, Charlie calls Froggy, suspecting questionable dealings between David and Owen. Busy preparing breakfast, Betty warns Ellard to steer clear of engaging Charlie in conversation, but Ellard, entranced by the enigmatic visitor, eagerly offers to teach him English.

Charlie, embracing the masquerade, delights in Betty's exuberance over hosting a "foreigner," inventing playful dances and gestures for her amusement. He finds himself drawn to Catherine, the disenchanted former debutante, as she voices her life's grievances to him. Gradually, Charlie becomes enamored with her. Ellard impresses Catherine and Betty with the English "lessons" he's given Charlie. In a turn of events, the presence of this "foreigner" revitalizes the entire household, including Charlie, as they experience "a day for surprises."