In the play, Harrison stars as the spirit of Phrynichos, a dramatist who was persecuted during his time because he took a stance against those who tried to appease the invading Persian army. Further, Phrynichos was first among ancient Greek dramatists to draw inspiration for his plays from political and military events of his era. Harrison delivers a moving speech about war, genocide and man's inhumanity toward man. The timing of the play coincided with the events surrounding the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Harrison, however, casts doubt, during the performance of his play, on the ability of his art to illuminate the plight of the victims at Krajina or Srebrenica or to receive a responsive audience, a fact that he seems to emphasise in a self-deprecating way when at the end of Harrison's speech, as the Spirit of Phrynicos exits the stage, one of the Labourers loudly exclaims: "Who the fuck was that?".