The two-act drama is based on the premise that the Nobel Committee has decided in this, its centenary year to give the first "retro-Nobel" to the discoverer of oxygen. Three chemists, the committee quickly determines, lay a claim to that discovery:
Through the trials and tribulations of the three contenders and the members of the Nobel Committee, Djerassi and Hoffmann take the audience 'backstage' for an inside look at the politics and passions in science then and now. The play opens in Stockholm, Sweden, 1777 (the year oxygen was discovered) and, with a very intentional nod to women, introduces Lavoisier, Priestly, and Scheele vicariously through their wives. Scene Two fast-forwards to 2001 where the Nobel Committee--led by a woman--sets about the task of selecting the recipient(s). From there, the action shifts from one century to the other, as the actors, who play dual roles, make seamless costume and character changes.
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