Dr. Eli Kronenberg is a Columbia University genetics professor who is conducting the experiment of his life; exploring the sociological significance of chemically altering the I.Q. of a small southern town - in this case Stillman's Corner, Alabama. But the residents don't know it's happening. Unfortunate for him, he is arrested for trespassing at the water reservoir and held in a tiny jail cell in the city's Sheriff's office. Wayne Hutto, the sheriff, is a brutish man who enjoys having everything under his tyrannical control. His wife, Mozelle, is quite unhappy living with this boorish lout and his deputy, Chip, is treated like an idiot. But now, due to Eli's experiment, these people are taking chances and making decisions they ordinarily would not, and Sheriff Hutto's world comes crashing down around him.
Dr. Joanne King is a fellow scientist who has been following Eli's experiment and has tracked him to Stillman's Corner upon his losing his grant at Columbia. It is up to her to do Eli's observations while incarcerated, or until Sheriff Hutto can find the sense to release him or the precedent to send him to jail for life.
Before long, Mozelle is ready to walk out of her fifteen year marriage to the Sheriff and Deputy Chip decides to go his own way and enroll in the Police Academy in the neighboring town of Demopolis. To make matters worse, an upstanding citizen has embezzled from the local wire plant and Sheriff Hutto is holding Eli responsible.
As the play progresses, Dr. King is seldom found as she attempts to steal Eli's research. It isn't until the experiment backfires on Eli himself that he realizes not only the tragedy of his work but his own unhappiness and agrees to assist the Sheriff in halting the research, but only after the Sheriff gives him the worst possible sentence - life in Stillman's Corner.
DR. ELI KRONENBERG: Male, mid to late 30's. A sharp, edgy, angry, sarcastic, very brilliant New York Jewish biochemist. Eli has a lot of passion about what he does, which, of course, makes him give little regard for anyone who stands in his way. He does, however, have a huge ego, which allows him to brag and give away important secrets to anyone who strokes him.
MOZELLE HUTTO : Female, 40's. The Sheriff's wife. Alluring and forceful. Mozelle is possibly the only human alive who is an equal match for the sheriff. With the right mindset she could run for President. The problem is, she has been raised to NOT have that mindset, thus making her her own worst enemy.
SHERIFF WAYNE HUTTO: Male, 40's. The Sheriff of Stillman's Corner. Very broad caricature - large and loud. Sheriff Hutto (pronounced HUT-toe) is bigger than life, and he likes that. He's a control freak who saw the opportunity to foster his mania. Everything always goes his way and if it doesn't, he's not beneith using force. He knows the law and uses it to his advantage whenver he can.
NITA-KAY ZIRLOT: Female, 19. The Deputy's fiancé. Mousey, quiet and naíve. Nita-Kay is what Mozelle was raised to be. She believes that her purpose in life is to raise children and do whatever her husband tells her to. Unfortunately, Nita-Kay is a dreamer and wants desperately to know what's happening beyond the end of her own nose.
DR. JOANNE KING: Female, late 30's. Psychologist/biochemist from California Polytechnic who has been studying Eli's findings. Joanne is a little on the effected side. She's a bit of a snob, though pleasant in her own way. Still, she looks at the people of Stillman's Corner as nothing more than "subjects" in this experiment. She is also very clever and very sneaky ...
BILLY LADNIER Male, mid-30's to late 40's. Manager of the wire plant in Stillman's Corner. Billy Ladnier doesn't look comfortable in a tie, but he has to fit the role of someone corporate. He's a bit of a nervous wreck, but a true representation of the local flavor. He works hard and is a respected person in the community (and a close, personal friend of the sheriff as well).