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The play opens in Joe Keller's backyard, where we see the broken tree, a memorial to Larry, who is presumed dead after going missing in World War II.
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Joe engages with Dr. Jim Bayliss and Frank Lubey, neighbors, discussing daily life and the recent storm that knocked over Larry’s memorial tree.
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Kate Keller, Larry’s mother, still believes Larry is alive and will come back, despite his presumed death, and is disturbed by the broken tree.
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Ann Deever, Larry’s former fiancée, arrives at the Kellers’ house. She is welcomed by the family, though Kate seems apprehensive, as she considers Ann still “Larry’s girl.”
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Chris, Joe’s surviving son, reveals his feelings for Ann and plans to propose to her, even though Ann was Larry's fiancée.
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Kate disapproves of Chris's plans, still convinced that Larry is alive and that his fiancée should remain single.
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Joe’s role in the wartime scandal comes up in passing, hinting at past troubles. Joe brushes it off, claiming he was exonerated.
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Ann’s father, Steve Deever, was Joe’s partner and is in prison for supplying faulty airplane parts that led to the deaths of 21 pilots, a crime Joe was also accused of but later cleared.
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Despite Kate's misgivings, Chris and Ann talk about a future together. They are determined to move forward, despite the complications.
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Tensions build as Kate warns Chris that he cannot marry Ann without accepting that Larry might still be alive. The act closes with a sense of unresolved guilt and suspicion.
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Ann’s brother, George, arrives unexpectedly after visiting his father, Steve, in prison, and he’s furious, believing that Joe is responsible for the deaths and Steve’s imprisonmen
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George confronts Joe about the events surrounding the faulty parts scandal, accusing him of letting Steve take the fall.
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Kate accidentally implies that Joe was indeed home sick on the day of the faulty shipment, revealing the lie Joe told during his trial to escape guilt.
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Chris begins to question his father’s innocence and feels betrayed. The idealistic view he held of his father is shattered as Joe admits to his involvement in the scandal