Synopsis & Character List
SYNOPSIS (CONTAINS SPOILERS!)
ACT ONE
In the upstairs bedroom of a rural Canadian farmhouse, Sarah, 38, awkwardly chats with her mother, Gail, 62, a divorced beekeeper, while unpacking suitcases and inflating an air mattress. Sarah has recently separated from her husband, Darren, although she continues to work on his farm, mainly inseminating turkeys. She plans to stay with Gail for a little while, while figuring out what to do next; Gail does not seem too pleased about this. Pressed by Gail’s nosy questioning, Sarah admits that her marriage problems were related to her and her husband’s inability to conceive, and that it had been some time since they’d last had sex. Sarah turns this line of questioning around, and asks her mother if she is seeing anyone. Embarrassed, Gail replies that that’s “ridiculous.” Earl, a neighbour who rents land to farm on Gail’s property—and whose ex-wife left him for Gail’s ex-husband—enters. He speaks with Gail about the Turkey Days dance, a highlight of the local social calendar set to take place that night. Sarah says she isn’t going; Gail is on the organizing committee, and will be at the dance. Sarah leaves to “collect sperm from a bunch of birds.” Just after she leaves, Ben, a graduate student studying Gail’s bee population, approaches on his bicycle. He enters and asks to use the washroom, then speaks to Earl and Gail about his research. Ben offends Gail, however, when he refers to her as a “hobbyist,” and she tells him that next time he needs to relieve himself he can do so outside, behind a tree.
Later that day, Ben, screaming, runs into the house and opens the washroom door, startling Sarah as she showers. She covers herself, and asks who he is and what he’s doing there. Ben briefly explains, and tells her that as he was trying to relieve himself outside, a bee stung him near his crotch. He is in pain and worried that he might be having an allergic reaction. Sarah helps him remove the stinger, and gives him a bag of frozen peas to reduce swelling. She then offers him her two tickets to the Turkey Days dance. He accepts one. Discernibly attracted to Ben, Sarah reconsiders using her remaining ticket to the dance.
That evening, Gail and Earl have a frank conversation about his dating activity. Since his divorce, he frequently dates women, but tells her that he is now seeking out “no strings attached” arrangements. He coyly suggests that they give it a try, but Gail rebuffs his attempt. Later that night, after the dance, Sarah returns home with Ben. He is very nervous, but she is fairly drunk and flirting heavily, clearly interested in him. After some awkward conversation, they kiss, and then have sex. As they lie together on the air mattress, Gail walks in and is shocked to see her daughter with Ben. Sarah is surprised to learn that Ben is only 23, and more surprised still when Ben admits that he was a virgin. Gail tells him that he is no longer welcome to study her bees, and kicks him out of the house. Sarah is embarrassed about what she has done with Ben, but now she is also angry that her mother is reacting so harshly. Sarah quickly packs up her things, and, before storming out of the house, tells Gail that what she really needs is to “get laid.” Right after Sarah leaves, Gail calls for Earl, now ready to take him up on his bold offer.
ACT TWO
A little more than a month has passed, and Gail and Earl have evidently struck up a sexual relationship. It’s the morning of his birthday, and she gives him some new underwear as a gift. They plan to meet again that night. After Earl leaves for the day, Sarah enters. Gail claims that Earl was just dropping off his rent cheque. Sarah tells Gail that she is pregnant, with Ben’s child. She hasn’t told him yet. She asks Gail if she can move back in. Gail, not ready to tell Sarah about her sexual relationship with Earl, tries to dissuade her, but she eventually assents. Later, Sarah meets with Ben. He is shocked by her news, and offers to quit school, get a job, and move in with her, but Sarah rejects all of this. She does not want to involve him, and asks him to go. That evening, Earl, wearing only his new underwear, hears the shower running, and sneaks in, expecting to find Gail. But it’s Sarah showering, and she is (again) shocked by the intrusion. Earl tells her that he and Gail have been enjoying a “no strings attached” relationship. Gail returns home and is embarrassed by the awkward situation. Speaking privately to Earl, Gail suggests that she would like to have a more conventional romantic relationship with him, but he angrily storms out, insisting that he doesn’t want “strings.”
Months pass: it’s New Year’s Eve, and Sarah and Gail are shut in due to a severe snowstorm. When Sarah suddenly goes into labour, Gail tries to call for an ambulance, but is told that it will be a long wait due to the weather; and so she phones Earl to see if he can drive them to the hospital. He comes through for them, and the following day he and Gail make up, suggesting some hope for their fractured relationship.
Five months later, Ben helps Sarah pack up her things, to move
from Gail’s house into her own apartment. Gail dotes on her grandchild, a boy
named Phoenix. Earl enters and hands Gail his rent cheque. Sarah and Ben leave
to get something to eat in town, leaving Phoenix with his grandmother. Gail
tells Earl that she loves him. He is caught off-guard, but admits that he loves
her too, and they decide to give it another shot, “strings and all.”
CHARACTER LIST
Sarah A 38-year-old turkey farmer. Recently separated from her husband of 11 years, Sarah has reluctantly moved in with her mother, Gail.
Gail A 62-year-old beekeeper, mother to Sarah, divorced from her father. She rents a portion of her land to Earl, a neighbouring man whose wife left him for Gail’s ex-husband.
Earl Gail’s 63-year-old neighbour, a divorced cash cropper who often boasts of his many relationships with women and his sexual prowess.
Ben A 23-year-old graduate student, studying Gail’s bee population for his research project in entomology.