The play is divided into two acts that are further broken up into seven scenes, and it opens up on an integrated corner in the south of New York. There are three converging streets that form at the edge of a triangular building. Though integrated, the people separate themselves by race, Black on one end, White on the other except for the kids that are playing marbles between one another in the center.
Scene one begins with an introduction to the main and supporting characters: Jim, Ella, Mickey, Joe, and Shorty. Jim and Ella are singled out as liking each other, and they bond over being called "Painty Face" and "Crow. In scene two, it is nine years later and takes place on the same corner with a showcases the technological advances—horse and buggy for automobiles. The relationship between Jim and Ella has changed.
Jim is pining for Ella's recognition, and Shorty and Joe question his blackness because of his desire to graduate and pass the bar exam. It seems as if he has fallen prey to Shorty's degradation of his ability and potential.
It is also revealed that Ella is in a relationship with Mickey. In scene three, the setting is the same but five years later.
The people on the streets appear even more tired. It starts out with Shorty and Ella discussing the breakup with Mickey and reveals that she had a child only to lose it to diphtheria.
