Overture In 1919, Prescott, an American boy, has temporarily retreated to the French countryside with his father, an American diplomat who is there to help negotiate the
Treaty of Versailles, and his mother, who is German-born.
I. The First Tantrum, A Sign of Things to Come After rehearsing for a church pageant, Prescott throws rocks at the other children and their parents and then runs into the woods. When he returns, he sees his father, who has been drinking with family friend Charles Marker. Prescott is forced to apologize to the townspeople and, though he is unrepentant, he is forgiven. Though his mother is fluent in French, Prescott has been forbidden from speaking anything but English with his mother.
II. The Second Tantrum, A New Year As the family is living in France, however, the mother is permitted to hire a tutor, Ada, to teach Prescott some French language. Prescott later sees Ada alone with his father, which his father claims was because he was paying her. Afterwards, during one of their lessons, Prescott grabs Ada's breast inappropriately. Though she is upset by the encounter, Ada does not mention it to his mother. The father, along with several trusted aides, spends some time in secret meetings at the house, no longer having faith in the negotiations. One of the aides, seeing Prescott, mistakes him for a girl, which causes him to strip off his clothes and lock himself in his room for several days. His mother intends to starve him out but he is secretly fed by Mona, the housekeeper. When the mother discovers this, she fires Mona. Mona vows to destroy the mother and her family. Prescott spends several days locked in his room learning French. Afterwards, he recites a text in front of his mother and Ada and then asks his mother to dismiss Ada so he can continue his studies alone. The father returns to find the mother with Marker. Upon seeing that Prescott is still disrobed, he promises to lash him, which results in a physical altercation in which he injures the boy's arm.
III. The Third Tantrum, "''It's a dragon...''" In celebration of the signed treaty, the family throws a dinner party for some close intimates. During the dinner, the father asks the mother to lead the group in prayer; she in turn asks Prescott to do so. Instead, he announces that
he doesn't believe in prayer anymore. When the mother tries to take him to his room, he strikes her several times in the temple with a rock, badly injuring her and causing her to lose consciousness. When the father attempts to apprehend him, Prescott runs off the stairs. While running, he trips and paralyzes himself. He is approached by Marker and his associates, who reassure him that he is alright.
+. A New Era or Prescott, the Bastard Many years later, Prescott is now the military leader of an
authoritarian state. Crowds of adoring fans greet him. He has grown to look like Marker, his biological father. ==Cast==