Christopher Fry's The Lady's Not for Burning is about Thomas Mendip, who is a discharged soldier. He wants to be hanged in front of the mayor and other people but instead of focusing on Thomas, the town focuses on a woman accused of witchcraft. She is accused of turning Skipps into a dog. The mayor's nephew (Humphrey Devize) has been betrothed to Alizon Eliot; she is coming to meet him very soon. Since she is coming, they will have no time to deal with Thomas an ex-soldier.
Alizon has six sisters. The father is afraid that he has too many girls to marry off. The dad has easily married the other five daughters and he promised Alizon Humphrey. But the problem is that Humphrey’s brother Nicholas thinks he deserves Alizon. Wanting to kill his brother to take Alizon, he is set out to knock his brother down and take Alizon for himself.
When Mayor Hebble Tyson finds out that Thomas is waiting to hang himself, he is very angered. The mayor is fed up with people making ridiculous requests and believes the people are mocking his hard work. With that, he threatens to have Thomas tortured if he does not leave and stop his brother.
When Thomas's interview with Hebble is interrupted by Nickolas, Nickols demands to get into the mayor's office. When suddenly a wealthy woman named Jennet Jourdemayne walks in. She is enraged that she is accused of witchcraft and thinks the accusations are a total joke. She is accused of turning Skipps into a dog and other evil witchcraft like things.
Hebble and his associates are overloaded and have a lot of problems on their hands (Thomas and Jennet). They soon leave the room to listen to Thomas and Jannet. They hope that Jennet will confess her crimes to Thomas.
