A treacherous river separates two lands. On one side is the "Land of Good and Happiness" whose citizens know how to live life happily. On the other side is the "Land of Evil and Woe," where a benighted people wallow in ignorance, unaware that they might greatly benefit from the enlightened civilization on the other side. One day a courageous swimmer from the Land of the Good embarks upon a dangerous journey to stretch a rope across the river to give the people on the other side a way out of their moral chaos and misery. What happens to the swimmer and how the recipients of the rope respond to his noble gesture make for a moving story. A good parable means many different things to different people. Is the swimmer a Christ figure or an embodiment of suffering heroes from mythology like Prometheus, Hercules, or Parsifal? However interpreted, Jeanne Shaffer's striking tale of timeless themes will sound a responsive chord in people from all backgrounds. Like figures on a Greek vase, Howard Cruse's classically rendered figures in black lend poignancy and heroic grace to this challenging satire.