Set in 1985 at a small liberal university, the play follows ethics professor Philip Hoffman and Dean of Students Albert Becker, longtime friends whose bond was forged through civil rights activism. Now working together in academia, they face renewed tensions when a student from the South Bronx challenges institutional authority by inviting a controversial speaker to campus.

As debates over free speech escalate, underlying inequalities and differing perspectives on responsibility and leadership come to the surface. The conflict forces both men to reexamine their values, their past, and their understanding of each other, as institutional priorities collide with personal convictions.