The play is set in the summer of 1878 in the fictional village of
Ballybeg,
County Donegal, at the house ("The Lodge") of Christopher Gore, who lives with his son David, and their longtime housekeeper Margaret. Christopher is a widowed land-owner from England ("the home place" of Kent). Both he and his son David are in love with Margaret. Two guests are staying at The Lodge, Dr Richard Gore, Christopher's cousin, and Dr Gore's assistant, Perkins. Dr Gore is an anthropologist and is traveling throughout Ireland recording the physical characteristics of the locals. Dr Gore's methods and racist hypotheses ignite animosity in the town, where a despised English landlord, Lord Lifford, was recently murdered. Christopher is caught in the middle between his cousin and his allegiance to the locals. The play runs the course of a single day in Ballybeg and centers on the resurgence of the
Home rule movement in Ireland. The Lifford killing is based on the actual murder of
the 3rd Earl of Leitrim in April 1878. ==Characters==