After long years away a son returns home to the South to care for his elderly mother. with whom he never had a close relationship. While caring for her many needs he struggles with mixed emotions and is haunted by old memories of feeling unloved. He finally confronts her in a drunken tirade that he later regrets and addresses in the closing monologue.
| MILDRED BREWSTER | Elderly southern woman, in her eighties; feeble; dependent; passes the time watching TV and talking on the phone. |
| BENNY BREWSTER | Mildred's son, about 60; artistic; energetic; recently returned home from New York City; likes to have a drink. |