Port Elizabeth, 1950. During a dreary afternoon at St George's Park Tea Room, Sam and Willie rehearse for the ballroom dancing championship. Hally seeks refuge from school in the tea room, finding solace with his lifelong friends. However, in apartheid South Africa, their relationship is defined by racial boundaries: he is Master Harold, and they are simply "the boys." Athol Fugard's powerful, semi-autobiographical play examines friendship and the painful ways people can wound those closest to them.