ACT I
Dawn. The Controller arrives. She is content: the airport is empty—except for the Refugee: he has nowhere to go. Travelers start to arrive. A married couple, Bill and Tina, are going on holiday in an attempt to rediscover romance. The Older Woman is waiting for a young man she met in Mallorca, her fiancé. The Steward and Stewardess go brightly about their business. Another married couple arrive, late for their flight: they are moving to Minsk. The Minskwoman is heavily pregnant. At the last moment, she refuses to board the plane and her husband leaves without her. She is left stranded, mortified. The Refugee offers her a magic stone to comfort her.
The Immigration Officer passes through the concourse: he is always a danger to the illegal Refugee. The latter, warned by the Controller but shunned by all of the passengers, avoids notice. Refusing to assist the Refugee, the travelers are joyously preparing for their respective departures when the Controller announces all flights are indefinitely delayed due to a sudden electrical storm.
ACT II
Night. Hours have passed and the storm is now raging. Worries beset those who are waiting. The storm has even upset the Controller’s equilibrium—she ventures outside the airport to confront the weather. The Minskwoman reckons with the fact that her suitcase is now filled with an unknown child’s belongings. Everyone on the concourse tries fitfully to rest, but, in pairs or alone, they secretly approach the Refugee, fascinated by his “magic stone.” He gives each of them what they believe to be the one, unique stone. They make wishes. Bill is still restless and, in an attempt to break out of his predictable nature, seeks the Stewardess. In the dark he makes a mistake and finds the Steward instead: they go off to explore the control tower. The women decide to get drunk and toast the Refugee. As they become more garrulous, they discover that each has “the stone.” They vent their anger, with dire consequences for the Refugee as Bill and the Steward’s explorations prove less dire but no less cataclysmic. The storm builds…
ACT III
Dawn. The weather has cleared. The Minskman suddenly returns on the first flight back, unable to continue without his wife at his side. Bill and the Steward have a surprise for their partners. Tina has a very nasty surprise for Bill. The Refugee has a surprise for the women. The Minskwoman has a surprise for everyone.
The Immigration Officer finally catches the Refugee. The other characters offer their help to persuade the Immigration Officer to review the situation, though all attempts are unsuccessful. The Refugee explains why he has no documentation and after all have heard his story, even the Officer has a surprising reaction. Flights are called and people depart. The Controller appears in the departure lounge as the airport returns to normal…perhaps…
