The Homecoming takes place in an expansive room within an aging house situated in working-class North London. This residence belongs to Max, a retired butcher, and is shared with his brother Sam, who drives for a cab service, along with two of Max's sons: Lenny, a notorious pimp, and Joey, who works in demolition by day while aspiring to be a professional boxer.

Opening Scene

The play begins with Lenny engrossed in his newspaper. Max enters the room searching for scissors but is casually ignored by Lenny. As Max reminisces about his late wife Jessie and a friend named MacGregor, he oscillates between affection and disdain, saying, "She wasn't such a bad woman. Even though it made me sick just to look at her rotten stinking face, she wasn't such a bad bitch." Max also boasts of his insights into horses. Ignoring Max's musings, Lenny retorts that Max's cooking is only fit for dogs. Sam, the brother, joins them, only to be insulted by Max for his unmarried status and his job. Joey returns from the gym, and Max criticizes his boxing skills, asserting Joey's inability to defend or attack effectively. The scene concludes with Max threatening to evict Sam in his old age, and Sam hinting at Mac and Jessie's close relationship, leading to a blackout.

Scene Transition

A few hours later, Teddy, Max's eldest son who works as a philosophy professor in America, appears with his wife, Ruth. The family knows little about Ruth, despite her six-year marriage to Teddy. They've traveled across Europe, and now Teddy introduces Ruth to his family. Initially claiming fatigue, Ruth decides to venture out for a walk. With Ruth gone, Lenny enters, and the brothers share a civil but cool reunion. As Teddy retires for the night, Lenny retrieves a clock that has been disturbing his rest.

Power Dynamics

Ruth returns and engages in unexpected small talk, revealing her identity as Teddy's wife, which Lenny largely ignores. He proceeds to share stories of violence, where he recounts beating both a prostitute and an elderly woman. These intimidating tales, whether fact or fiction, seem designed to unsettle Ruth, but she remains unfazed. A theatrical power struggle ensues, with Ruth using a glass of water to exert dominance over Lenny through implied sexual temptations. Eventually, Ruth retreats to bed, leaving Lenny alone. When Max enters, Lenny confronts him about the night of his conception, to which Max responds with threats, proclaiming Lenny will "drown in his own blood."

Morning Conflicts

The following scene unfolds at six-thirty the next morning. Joey is exercising, and Max enters, grumbling about Sam's presence in the kitchen. Max summons Sam into the room, only to belittle him further. Teddy and Ruth arrive, and Max unleashes a tirade of insults upon Ruth, calling her a "smelly scruffer" and a "stinking pox-ridden slut," asserting that no prostitute had been in the house since Jessie's death. Ruth remains surprisingly unperturbed by Max's verbal assaults. Joey apologizes for Max's behavior, attributing it to his old age, and Max retaliates by striking Joey in the stomach with all his strength. When Sam tries to assist Max, he too is struck with Max's cane. In a moment of rare kindness, Max queries Ruth if she is a mother, and seems satisfied with her affirmation of having three boys. He then asks Teddy for a hug, which Teddy grants.

Evening Tensions

As evening descends, dinner is over, and Ruth serves coffee as the men enjoy cigars. Max showers Ruth with compliments, nostalgically claiming that Jessie was the family's moral compass. He then denounces Sam, lamenting the...