Act 1 Summary

Picnic starts on Labor Day, early in the morning in a small Kansas town. All of the on-stage action happens on the porches of two neighboring homes. Mrs. Flo Owens lives in one of the homes with her teenage daughters, Madge and Millie. An older woman, Mrs. Helen Potts, lives in the other house, where she takes care of her invalid mother. The scene starts with Mrs. Potts talking with Hal, a very handsome young vagabond she has hired for the day. Mrs. Potts is very kind to him and feeds him breakfast in exchange for his work.

Meanwhile, on the other porch, Millie is bickering with a teenager named Bomber. Madge comes out. She is "unusually" beautiful and eighteen years old. Bomber asks Madge out on a date. She explains she is dating Alan and says Bomber should leave her alone. However...