The play begins with Bill Maitland in the throws of a dream he participates in. He is essentially prosecuting himself for having lived a life that has amounted to nothing. He asks that he is allowed to serve as his own lawyer which is not recommended to him, and yet ironically when he realizes he must speak for himself now he is caught unaware. Maitland admits his failures as a husband, father and businessman/lawyer who has not lived up to the expectations he set out for his life. Bill does not know who his friends nor enemies are in his life, thus his relationships are exhausting to him as he has attempted, at great effort, to determine who is who with no clear results. He along with the other characters in his dream transform into his present reality as he begins his day at his law office where he handles mainly divorces.
Maitland is a crude man who sleeps around with his secretaries and spends hardly any time at home with his wife and children. His current secretary, Shirley, declares that she is quitting. He has been having an affair with her, but she's finished as she's now pregnant with her boyfriend's child. This leaves Joy to take over the brunt of the work and the sexual advances of her boss. Bill's partner, Hudson is quite different than him and as the day progresses he eventually leaves for court and the rest of the load, which are divorce cases, to Bill.
Joy and Maitland eventually sleep together, and Bill doesn't go to his mistresses home though he said he would. He sleeps on the couch of his office. Eventually, Bill is faced by his mistress and his wife who all leave him because of his erroneous behavior that is careless of anyone but himself. At the end of the play Bill is seen taking more pills and declaring to Anna over the phone that he will simply stay in his office. He has no where to go, no one to turn to; he has drifted into a nowhere land, disconnected from knowing who he, wondering what his life is meant for and unsure of any relationships in his life.
