The time is the early 20th century, in Grovers Corners, New Hampshire, and centers on the Webb and Gibbs families, who live next door to each other. Emily Webb and George Gibbs are two young people who grow up, fall in love with gentle glances and sweet words, get married, and are eventually separated by death. On the surface, there is all this nostalgia, but there are dark currents in Grovers Corners, little ironies and inconsistencies that are often commented on by the Stage Manager, and are embodied in the person of the town drunk, Simon Stimson.