"[1] He also discussed the play with Nancy Astor, whose friend Judy Musters typed up Shaw's manuscript.

In the final version, the genders of the characters are reversed, with a male figure appearing in the "housekeeper" role.

He learns that she is Serafina White, the granddaughter of an elderly businessman who runs the largest timber merchants in the country.

He explains that he is serving the "life force" which demands renewal, but she is unwilling to fully accept this, and agrees only to friendship, not marriage.

[5] Holroyd says it was written quickly, and that the figure of Bossborn, who moves from a tramp to a form of superman, is a version of Shaw himself, including his inability to overcome his personal isolation.