There are two major characters, Photo-Finish and Emily, whom Saroyan refers to simply as "A Young Man" and "A Girl".
Photo-Finish is a down on his luck gambler and ends up in jail in a hole-in-the-wall town as a result of a married harlot crying rape when he refused to pay her after coming over to her house.
Al Pacino played the Young Man in a performance in 1963 that marked his first appearance on stage in New York City.
In 1950, the play was adapted into a short film, directed by James Whale and produced by millionaire Huntington Hartford.
It starred Harry Morgan, Marjorie Steele (Hartford's then-wife), Lee Patrick, and Ray Teal.