The story is meant to be that of an everyman (early in its development Steinbeck had thought of calling the play Everyman), so the setting for each of the three acts recasts the four characters in different situations: the first act is set in a circus, Saul and Victor are trapeze artists and Friend Ed, a clown; in the second act, Saul and Friend Ed become neighbouring farmers and Victor appears as Saul's farmhand. In the final act Saul is the captain of a ship, Mr. Victor, his mate, and Friend Ed a seaman about to put out on a different ship.
The story is meant to be that of a common person (at its inception, Steinbeck considered naming the play Everyman), so each act's setting reinterprets the four characters in various scenarios: Act One takes place at a circus, with Saul and Victor as acrobats and Friend Ed as a clown; in Act Two, Saul and Friend Ed become neighboring farmers while Victor works for Saul. In Act Three, Saul is the captain of a ship, Mr. Victor his mate, and Friend Ed a sailor about to embark on another vessel.