Hogan (Hawkes) is the greatest mess. He lives in a lakeside cabin that is as run-down as he is. His life has been shattered, turning him in to a loner who scrapes by on whatever meager finances he can muster, honestly or dishonestly. Hawkes makes him a fast-talking character, who is sometimes amusing in the ways in which he gets by, but the sadness of his existence is underscored by the estrangement between him and his daughter in New York.

Into his world comes Veronica (Thoms), a widow who has answered an ad with a view toward renting the cabin for herself and her children for a week of vacation. As we gradually learn, her life is also a mess, although she is a far more together person than he is. She works as a nurse, but she lied in her application and the revelation has shattered her career. But she has strengths that can enable her to work as an aide and one feels she will make it in life somehow.

Hogan has a brother from whom he is alienated but who can also help if Hogan would swallow his pride and let him instead of stealing from him. Although Veronica is angered by Hogan’s failure to provide the repairs promised, she is a kindly soul who would like to help him, even after the vacation is over. He has inner goodness and he would like to help her in a way she cannot accept. Daniel Sullivan’s direction is tight enough to keep a strong focus on the two and their intimate, often volatile conversations, and it is a tribute to the staging and the fact that Hogan is white and Veronica African-American does not enter into the relationship.