Phil Hogan and his daughter Josie work their Connecticut tenant farm in September 1923. Hogan, an Irish immigrant and widower, has already driven away his two eldest sons with his bull-like, domineering manner and aggressive behavior. Josie now assists Mike, as she has her other two brothers, in making his escape from his father and the farm. Of Hogan’s children, Josie alone is devoted to him – only she understands him and can hold her own against him. For all his bluster, Hogan knows that it is his daughter’s strength and work ethic that have held them together for so many years on the farm. Together, they are a powerful force and not above carrying out various scams and ruses as they scrape together a living. While Hogan turns to the bottle to quell his insecurities, Josie masks her own vulnerability by portraying a rough, raw persona to the outside world. She is often crass and flippant regarding her own and others’ perceptions of herself and her locally acclaimed “loose morals.” However, that attitude is merely a façade, hiding deeply felt emotions and desires. Josie is secretly in love with their landlord, Jim Tyrone.

Tyrone, who took over as the Hogans’ landlord after his father’s death, is an alcoholic third-rate actor. Though in love with Josie, he craves a return to New York and the lights of Broadway. Tyrone had, in the past, promised to sell Hogan the land he lived on and worked at a reasonable price, once the rest of Tyrone’s inheritance came through. However, after an evening of drinking with Jim and others at the local inn, Hogan tells Josie that he thinks Jim will renege on his promise and instead sell out to their rich, hostile neighbor, the pompous T. Stedman Harder. The Hogans decide to take advantage of Jim’s alcoholism and his clear affection for Josie by setting a trap for him. Josie will get him drunk and seduce him, and her father will bring witnesses to catch them “in the act” and force him to marry her.

Nothing goes as planned. Josie discovers that Tyrone had never planned to sell the land out from under them. His only desire is to rest a while in Josie’s arms, and although he does love her, his own self-loathing over his past indiscretions and his need to remove himself to the anonymity of the City prevents him from committing to any relationship. When Hogan returns home early the next morning without witnesses, Josie realizes that she has been duped by her father, who says that his intention was actually to have Josie and Tyrone finally embrace the love they have for one another. When Tyrone eventually wakes up, he is at first oblivious to the dark secrets he has shared with Josie under the influence of alcohol and a lover’s moon. As he remembers the confessions he made during the night, he is appalled, and although he declares his love for Josie, he leaves, both of them knowing he will never return. The play closes with Josie and her father left alone on the farm.

Source: McCarter.org