ACT ONE
A young soldier in Marietta, Georgia, prepares to fight in the Civil War. (The Old Red Hills of Home) He is replaced by his older self as Atlanta prepares to celebrate Memorial Day in 1913. A crowd turns out to see the annual Memorial Day parade (The Dream of Atlanta).
Lucille Frank is preparing a picnic for herself and her husband, Leo, but he tells her that he has work to do…he is from the North and doesn’t see any reason to observe this holiday (How Can I Call This Home?). Also on her way to the factory is 13-year-old Mary Phagan, to pick up her pay. She is met on the streetcar by Frankie Epps, who invites her out that night (The Picture Show). Leo arrives and begins to work, while Lucille reflects on how her life has turned out compared to her dreams (Leo at Work/What Am I Waiting for?). Mary arrives and Leo pays her, and she leaves his office.
The police come to interrogate Newt Lee, the night watchman at the factory – Mary Phagan has been found dead. Her mother and sister are in the streets looking for her. (I am trying to remember…). Britt Craig, a local reporter, has just been kicked out of MacDaniel’s Saloon, and is frustrated with the lack of important news happening in the city (Big News!). But then word reaches him of Mary’s murder…
Leo is brought back to the factory for questioning, and is arrested. Mary’s funeral is held (There is a Fountain/It Don’t Make Sense). The Governor of Georgia, John Slaton, tells the District Attorney, Hugh Dorsey, that Leo has to be convicted…child labour is becoming a contentious issue. He is supported by a radical Christian activist, Tom Watson (Watson’s Lullaby), because Leo is Jewish.
Dorsey begins questioning the witnesses, and “suggesting” what they might say at the trial, and in this way building his case against Leo (Somethin’ Ain’t Right). Meanwhile, Britt Craig and the other reporters in the city are having a ball with the whole affair (Real Big News). Craig tries to approach Lucille to get her point of view, but she puts him off, saying he doesn’t deserve to hear it (You Don’t Know This Man).
She visits Leo in jail and tells him she is going out of town…the stress of all the attention is too much. He begs her to stay for the trial…after all, it would look bad if his wife didn’t attend. The trial begins, with an angry mob, led by Tom Watson, demanding “justice” against Leo (It Is Time Now). Dorsey makes his opening statement, (Twenty Miles from Marietta), and Frankie Epp then testifies about his conversation with Mary before she went to the factory, saying how afraid she was of Leo. Other girls who had worked at the factory testify that Leo would often look at them “funny”, or invite them up to his office (The Factory Girls/Come Up to My Office). Newt Lee also testifies, agreeing that Leo would look at the girls “funny”, and Mary’s mother takes the stand to talk about her daughter (My Child Will Forgive Me). Jim Conley delivers a devestating account of how he helped Leo move Mary’s body after he had killed her (That’s What He Said). Through all of this, Leo’s lawyer has been quiet, developing his “strategy”, which it turns out is to have Leo speak directly to the jury after all the testimony. Leo delivers his statement (It’s hard to speak my heart), but after the closing statements, the jury finds him guilty.
Leo’s appeal is denied, and he is sentenced to death. A year has passed now since Mary’s murder, but public interest is still high (It Goes On and On). Leo decides to take action himself, and begins to study law and write letters to important people. He also fires his lawyer. Some of these people start to pay attention, and Newt Lee, Jim Conley, and other members of Atlanta’s black community remark on how the situation would be different if Leo weren’t white (A Rumblin’ and a Rollin’).
Lucille finally grants an interview to Britt Craig, but Leo is upset with her about it…she tells him she was only trying to help, and tries to convince him that he needs her help (Do It Alone). She goes to the governor’s mansion during a party (Pretty Music), and manages to speak with the governor. Shortly afterward, he also receives a letter from the judge at Leo’s trial, who expresses his misgivings about how the trial was conducted (Letter to the Governor). Governor Slaton decides to reopen the case.
Leo is thrilled with this turn of events, and finally admits that he does need Lucille (This Is Not Over Yet). She and the governor question the factory girls and Newt Lee again, and begin to find proof that they were coached into their testimony by the DA. The governor also goes to talk to Jim Conley (Feel the Rain Fall), and becomes convinced that he too is lying, after he is presented with evidence from Mary’s autopsy that contradicts Jim’s testiony. Governor Slaton decides to change Leo’s sentence to life in prison rather than death.
This decision does not go over well with many in the South, especially those led by Tom Watson (Where Will You Stand When the Flood Comes?). Public uproar is so great that the governor is forced to retire. Leo is moved to a different prison, and Lucille is allowed to visit him there and have the picnic she had planned so long ago. They realize how much they truly love each other (All the Wasted Time), and finally consummate
their marriage.
Leo is roused in the middle of the night by a small but angry group of men, who decide to take it upon themselves to carry out Leo’s original sentence. Leo refuses to lie and say that he committed the crime, and so they hang him.
Leo’s wedding ring is returned to Lucille, who, despite everything, will stay in Georgia…it is, after all, her home (Finale).