The play opens onto the outdoor setting of the Mayo family farm at sunset. A road runs through the farm, between the hills and ploughed fields, toward the horizon. Rob Mayo is reading a book. He is a young man of around 23 years old, with delicate features and “a touch of the poet about him” (126). Rob’s elder brother, Andy Mayo, enters. At 27, Andy is the opposite of Rob. Tall, strong, and tanned from working the fields, Andy is “a son of the soil” (126). The brothers are close, despite their differences, which they joke about.

It is revealed that this is Rob’s last night before he is due to join his uncle’s ship and set sail for three years. Rob had a sickly childhood that forced him to stay indoors, and he has always dreamed of adventure and believes the voyage will help further improve his health. Rob repeatedly gestures or references the horizon as he tries to describe this desire to Andy, who can’t imagine leaving the farm because of his deep love for the land.

Andy says he better go home to clean up as