It's as if someone has unwittingly opened Pandora's box this Memorial Day weekend in North Bath. Chief Raymer collapses at a funeral, falls into an open grave, and loses the only piece of evidence that his wife has cheated on him. The wall of a building constructed by the impotent contractor Carl collapses. To make matters worse, a venomous snake that was being kept illegally has escaped and is now slithering through the streets of the small East Coast town. Chief Raymer, who prefers things to stay as they always have been, takes action: he steps up to restore order to the devastating chaos and to track down the man who has betrayed him. But the other residents of the town must also show their true colors this weekend. "A Man of Action" draws us into the lives of the people before us.