In three acts, Orton tells the mischievously provocative story of Mr Sloane, a sly and handsome young man who works his way into the household of Kath, her brother Ed, and their father. Kath wants something between a lover and a substitute baby, while Ed wants someone to drive his car dressed in a tight t-shirt and leather cap. But though the charismatic youth thinks that he holds all the cards with both brother and sister vying for his attention, the play soon becomes a shameless and unnerving tangle of sex, blackmail, bribery and violence.