"It is the summer of 1878, a time of unrest and the early days of the Home Rule movement. The play is set at The Lodge in Ballybeg, the Donegal home of the Gores, a planter family. The Gores, father and son, are both in love with Margaret, a local woman who has worked in The Lodge since she was fourteen. All three pursue a dream of freedom from their history and heritage and the "awful burden" of the big house. Brian Friel's beautifully crafted drama continues the historical probing which culminated in Translations.

In that masterpiece, the effects of a military operation to map the physical contours of the Irish landscape infuse the tragedy. In this, his latest play, a scientific exercise to determine the Irish character inflames an already volatile social moment. The result is a masterful illustration of the dilemmas of national identity and sense of place."