Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
The story is a racially charged drama about teen drug addicts at a rehabilitation center, located on an island in a river bordering a large industrial city. An English teacher tries to make a difference in his students' lives. He encounters barriers in trying to do this—the same barriers created by the system that hinders the addicts' development and keeps them coming back. One addict, Bickham, is a tough white teenager who searched for his father and found him working in a seedy barber shop. Upon meeting his son, the barber shows him a dirty photograph. Contrasting Bickham is Conrad, an African-American addict. Conrad wants to recover and marry his love Linda. During the play, his character leaves the rehabilitation group to live with his sister, who is also an addict. Aside from the students, there are only four characters in the rehabilitation center – a teacher, a psychiatrist, a policeman, and the center's principal.