Arms and The Man Plot Summary
The play begins in the fall of 1885 during the Serbo-Bulgarian War.
Raina, a Bulgarian woman from a wealthy family, learns from her
mother, Catherine, that the Bulgarian cavalry have won a battle against
the Serbs.
o Catherine adds that Sergius, Raina’s fiancé, was at the head of the
charge, and was as heroic in life as he appears in the picture Raina
keeps in her bedroom.
o Louka, their servant, enters and warns Catherine and Raina that
escaped Serbs fleeing the battlefield might be in the area, seeking
refuge in the houses of Bulgarian families.
o Raina is not worried and chooses to keep her window unlocked.
o In the night, a man enters the room through the unlocked window and
says he will kill Raina if she makes a noise.
The man is Swiss and an escaped soldier, fighting as a
mercenary for the Serbians.
o Raina is shocked to see that the man is tired and hungry, that he does
not glorify battle, and that he is merely happy to have escaped the
carnage alive.
Raina helps him hide behind a curtain just as Catherine, Louka,
and a Bulgarian officer enter to search the room for any Serbs
who might be hiding in the area.
Raina convinces them that no one is in her room, and they
leave.
Raina gives the man chocolate creams, which she keeps in a
box in her room, and is shocked to hear that the man has no
ammunition for his pistol, as he normally only keeps candies in
his pockets.
The man argues that Sergius’s cavalry charge against the Serbs
was foolish and succeeded only by sheer luck.
The Serbs had machine guns but were given the wrong
ammunition by accident, and therefore could not mow
down Sergius and his men.
Raina agrees to help the man escape later that night,
though she rebukes him for making fun of her fiancé
Sergius.
The man sleeps as Raina enlists Catherine’s help, and
when Raina and Catherine return, they allow the man to
rest since he has not slept for days.
The second act begins in the garden of the same house, though it is
now spring of 1886.
o Louka is engaged to the house’s head male servant, Nicola.
Louka tells Nicola that he will never be more than a servant,
and that she has higher aspirations.
The play begins in the fall of 1885 during the Serbo-Bulgarian War.
Raina, a Bulgarian woman from a wealthy family, learns from her
mother, Catherine, that the Bulgarian cavalry have won a battle against
the Serbs.
o Catherine adds that Sergius, Raina’s fiancé, was at the head of the
charge, and was as heroic in life as he appears in the picture Raina
keeps in her bedroom.
o Louka, their servant, enters and warns Catherine and Raina that
escaped Serbs fleeing the battlefield might be in the area, seeking
refuge in the houses of Bulgarian families.
o Raina is not worried and chooses to keep her window unlocked.
o In the night, a man enters the room through the unlocked window and
says he will kill Raina if she makes a noise.
The man is Swiss and an escaped soldier, fighting as a
mercenary for the Serbians.
o Raina is shocked to see that the man is tired and hungry, that he does
not glorify battle, and that he is merely happy to have escaped the
carnage alive.
Raina helps him hide behind a curtain just as Catherine, Louka,
and a Bulgarian officer enter to search the room for any Serbs
who might be hiding in the area.
Raina convinces them that no one is in her room, and they
leave.
Raina gives the man chocolate creams, which she keeps in a
box in her room, and is shocked to hear that the man has no
ammunition for his pistol, as he normally only keeps candies in
his pockets.
The man argues that Sergius’s cavalry charge against the Serbs
was foolish and succeeded only by sheer luck.
The Serbs had machine guns but were given the wrong
ammunition by accident, and therefore could not mow
down Sergius and his men.
Raina agrees to help the man escape later that night,
though she rebukes him for making fun of her fiancé
Sergius.
The man sleeps as Raina enlists Catherine’s help, and
when Raina and Catherine return, they allow the man to
rest since he has not slept for days.
The second act begins in the garden of the same house, though it is
now spring of 1886.
o Louka is engaged to the house’s head male servant, Nicola.
Louka tells Nicola that he will never be more than a servant,
and that she has higher aspirations.
