Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

The scene opens in a shabby apartment in Manchester, England, in 1956. Helen and her teenaged daughter, Jo, enter loaded with bags. Helen is described as a semi-prostitute, but her men are her only known source of financial support.

She and Jo start bickering immediately. Jo is angry that they are moving again and suspects that her mother is running from somebody or something. She hates the apartment and bitterly complains of how poorly they live on Helen's "immoral earnings."

Helen is suffering from a bad cold. She drinks whiskey while Jo inspects the apartment, which is freezing and has only one bedroom for the both of them. Helen offers Jo some whiskey to help her warm up, but Jo turns it down. When the roof begins leaking, Jo scolds her mother for not thinking when she makes choices. Jo speaks as...