Domestic Issues

Having been granted amnesty through the efforts of his wealthy and politically well-connected older brother, Larry, Stephen Porter is writing a book about his years as a violent radical activist

As he sorts through the events of his revolutionary past he is disturbed by the recurring appearance of a spectral figure-a fellow cell member who was killed when a bomb that Stephen was building accidentally detonated

He is also shaken by the unexpected arrival of his estranged wife, Ellen, who is still a hunted terrorist and who is determined to win back both Stephen's affection and his allegiance to the cause

Her appearance is particularly distressing to Larry and his wife, Susan, who importune Stephen to settle down and join the family business, putting his radical days behind him.

The resulting conflicts form the dramatic heart of the play, as Stephen struggles to come to terms with the ideological and emotional compulsions which beset him-his conviction as to the justness of the cause he has served, and the guilt he feels about the destructive acts which this has led to

In the end there are no easy answers, but, instead, a sort of tentative accommodation with the changed reality, both political and personal, of which an older and wiser Stephen, with the passage of time, has inevitably become aware