"Beyond the Neck" begins with the "Overture", in which the location of the play, Port Arthur, is introduced. The character "4" (old man), details the negative history of the location, speaking of the hardships of the convicts who lived in the penal settlement in the 1800s (see History Port Arthur, Tasmania). The characters "1" (boy), "2" (teenage girl), "3" (young mother and wife), and "4" (old man) are then introduced, through direct address and as the musical quartet piece that Holloway intended. The "Overture" acts as a prologue to the characters and their backstories, placing them in relation to the events of the Port Arthur Massacre.