It is a Saturday in 1959, in the nice little neighborhood of Clybourne Park. Packing to leave for their new home closer to his job, Russ and Bev Stoller are a married couple. The first act of the play begins with their maid Francine coming to help them pack their things away.
Bev and Russ didn't always live alone - their son Kenneth fought in the Korean War, but took his own life after he was accused of murdering innocent civilians. This death has made Bev and Russ drift apart, but they still love each other. When Russ is depressed about these things, Bev calls over the local preacher to try to help him. It doesn't work.
Still packing, neighbors Karl and Betsy Linder arrive on the scene, saying they are just there to talk. However, they quickly reveal that a black family is moving in after the Stoller's move out, and Karl tries to convince Russ not to sell. An argument ensues, with Russ and Bev saying they will not "protect" a community that did not try to save their son.
Albert, who is the maid's husband, comes to pick up Francine, but ends up in a conversation with Russ about moving into the house instead of the black family. No definitive decision is made.
The second act takes viewers fifty years to the future, in 2009, when a black couple living in Clybourne Park are selling their house to a white family. However, the two couples have to take their case to court, because the community wants to preserve the historical aspects of the neighborhood before someone new moves in. The black couple, Lena and Kevin, are afraid that if some changes are made, it would completely restrict any African Americans from ever living in the community again, and their worries are warranted.Steve, husband of the white color, starts telling a lot of racial jokes, which are very offensive.
Meanwhile, a contractor named Dan is digging in the backyard of the home. He finds a chest, and in it, Kenneth's suicide note. The stage turns back time to 1959 again, and Kenneth can be seen coming down the stairs. Sitting by the window, he begins writing, and, when Bev comes in and asks what he is doing, he simply replies he is applying for a job. Bev replies to him that she thinks things are getting better for the family.
