In a faraway time in colonial America, before there were theaters or courthouses, the Somerset Tavern served as both. A troupe of actors is accused of treason for a play staged there; by chance their trial for the capital offense convenes in the same tavern, owned by Bridget Brighton, a young woman of mixed race. The traveling Judge, Aubrey Draw, and Bridget were lovers once but have not met in ten years.

Most of the actors have escaped, but Judge Draw insists that the two remaining perform the play so he can rule on the evidence. The old actor playwright, Roland Bannister, and his young protege, Morgan Nightingale, perform a farcical version of their play that is poetic allegory, perplexing the Judge as well as a young lawyer, Edgar Weathervane, who witnessed the play and is obsessed with getting a conviction.

The kindly Bridget is equally obsessed with freeing these innocent men. The conflict between them, and her ongoing romance with the Judge set the stage for exciting reversals, high-jinks, revelations, and an astonishing resolution.