Summary
Act 1
Anna Freeman and Tom Lattimer are ensnared in a passionate argument. Tom's desperation to uncover the reason behind Anna's sudden refusal to marry him hangs in the air. Anna, however, deftly evades the topic, steering the conversation to unrelated musings. She speaks of a man she spots on the street—a familiar figure who lingers there often, driven by his affection for a woman residing nearby. Eventually, Anna relents and confesses her disdain for Tom's new position at a popular women's magazine. Tom accuses Anna of being an idealist, predicting regret for her lack of steady employment.
Their discourse is interrupted by a sound at the door, heralding the arrival of Mary Jackson, Anna's landlady. Mary is calling for her cat, oblivious to Tom's presence at first. She invites Anna out for coffee, but upon noticing Tom, she nonchalantly questions his belief that marriage with Anna was ever feasible.
Just then, the doorbell chimes. Mary returns with Harry Paine, a friend seeking Anna's consolation. He is entangled in marital infidelities, and his latest lover is engaged to wed another. Harry hopes Anna will accompany him for a drink, needing a listener for his woes. Anna declines, so he turns to Mary, who eagerly accepts.
As Mary departs with Harry, Harry taunts Tom, declaring Anna would never marry him, suggesting Tom is becoming tediously conventional. Tom retorts, pointing out their similarities in occupation, silencing Harry's mockery. The quartet then discusses Dave Miller, Anna's acquaintance whom Harry says Anna should wed. Anna refuses, foreseeing Dave's future as another Harry—wed yet unfaithful. Harry bristles at Anna’s prediction.
Amid their dialogue, the bell rings once more. Mary leaves to greet the visitor. Left alone, Tom compares Anna to Mary, warning her of a future isolated with cats if she continues rejecting marriage. Anna retorts, defending Mary and asserting she'd rather be alone and authentic than compromise like Tom.
Harry and Mary exit together, and Janet Stevens, one of Dave Miller's casual lovers, appears. Tom departs, leaving Anna and Janet alone.
Janet, with Tom gone, reveals she is expecting Dave's child. Intent on ensnaring him in matrimony, she ceased birth control without his knowledge. Anxious over his absence and his affection for Anna, she implores Anna to inform Dave of her predicament. Departing, Janet feels satisfied, believing marriage could anchor Dave.
Dave soon arrives, to find Anna fraught with frustration. She is heartbroken from ending an engagement with a man she loved, her affection now turning towards Dave, though she feels doomed to repeat the cycle. Initially icy towards Dave, Anna eventually softens. They sit cross-legged on the floor, a familiar ritual that transforms their surroundings, leaving them adrift in London's vastness as the room fades away.
Act 2
As Act 2 unfolds, Anna and Dave remain entwined in the scene’s gentle stillness. Anna rises, channeling her childhood, adopting an Australian accent as she reenacts a vivid memory with her mother. She adamantly declares she will not mirror her mother’s life—isolated, bound by the chores of farm life.
Dave then steps back into his own youthful days on Chicago's gritty streets. With friends, he reenacts games as gangsters of the Great Depression, recalling his early political fervor and ideological explorations into anarchism and socialism.
Dave recounts a visit to a psychoanalyst, seeking advice on happiness. The analyst prescribes marriage and children, eliciting a mix of derision and anxiety in Dave, fearful of succumbing to societal norms. He reflects on his distant upbringing, with parents often away organizing unions.
A ruckus filters in from the street below, echoing the nightly altercations of neighboring women. Anna...
(This entire section contains 1037 words.)
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and Dave express their longing for a better world and self-improvement. Anna recalls a vivid vision where she transformed into a tiger, initially serene and purring, but soon it turned aggressive, its keepers arriving with a cage—a metaphor for dreams restrained by reality.
The phone blares insistently, yet Anna remains unmoved, ignoring its summons. She confides in Dave, suggesting that his destiny might lie in marrying a conventional American woman. Weary of striving for virtue, Anna proclaims her exhaustion.
Act 3
Anna illuminates the room, and the familiar walls close in around them once more. With a firm resolve, she informs Dave that their relationship has reached its end. Frustration boils within him as he attempts to compel Anna to engage with him. Unyielding, she reiterates the finality of their separation, dismissing the notion that they are unique, branding them as mere egotists. She explains that for egotists, self-respect eclipses all else, even the need for others. She diminishes both herself and Dave in her critique. Their conversation briefly touches on Anna's child, prompting Dave to inquire about the child's significance to her. Anna reveals that the child embodies her hope for a brighter tomorrow.
The raucous, inebriated voices of Harry and Mary announce their return. The atmosphere suggests Harry's intention to linger with Mary through the night. Mary enters the scene only to depart shortly after. Harry follows, informing them that Mary has succumbed to sleep. Anna urges Harry to return to his wife, Helen, which sparks his ire. The phone's ring shatters the air once more, and Harry is convinced that it is Tom calling. Anna, unfazed, insists Harry must go home to Helen. Reluctantly, he complies.
At last, Anna discloses the details of Janet's visit and her predicament to Dave. Unperturbed, Dave offers to marry Janet if she wishes but confesses that he cannot truly alter his ways. He accuses Anna of using Janet as a scapegoat to justify their breakup.
The phone rings again, revealing Janet on the other end. Dave offers her words of comfort before hanging up. He and Anna share a lingering gaze before he exits the scene.
Tears well up in Anna’s eyes as she reaches for a drink, only for Mary to reappear and take it away. Anna divulges that Dave has gone to wed, prompting Mary to remark that it was inevitable. The play concludes with the two women reflecting on the impending return of Anna’s son from boarding school. As the narrative draws to a close, the walls of Anna's room once again dissolve into nothingness, and the curtain gently descends.
