The play is about an actor called Bruscon from the state theater, who stops in the small village of Utzbach on tour to perform his play "Das Rad der Geschichte“ ("The Wheel of History").
At the beginning, Bruscon is in conversation with the landlord of the inn where the play is to take place, insisting that the fire office in the village must allow the extinction of the emergency light at the end of the play.
Bruscon complains about the humidity of the room, his fear of a floor breaking through and the fact that Utzbach seems too small for his "outstanding" work.
In addition, learns from the landlord that the day of performance coincides with the famous "Blutwursttag" (blood sausage day) in the village and that, consequently, many locals won't have time to watch the play.
While rehearsing the play with his children and his wife, who appears to have a cold ("Your mother wastes her entire talent pretending to be sick"), Bruscon, the dramatist, turns out to be a true tyrant.