The four-act drama by Augustus Thomas premiered at Madison Square Theatre on 1 April 1890. Set in the postbellum South, the action insinuates northern railroad builders onto the decaying property of the remnants of a plantation family. The atmosphere reeks of southern clichés and culminates in an affair of honor avoided at the last moment, the reunion of long-lost father, son, and daughter, and the newfound happiness of two couples. Maurice Barrymore played Captain Davenport, the son who fought for the Union but now returns to the fold.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.