Dirty Hands

The play unfolds in Illyria, a fictional Eastern European country during the late stages of World War II, aligned with Nazi Germany and edging toward the Eastern Bloc. We meet Hugo Barine, a young Communist, and Hoederer, a seasoned party leader wrestling with strategy and ideology. The stage is set for a clash between purity and pragmatism as the war nears its end.

Hugo moves into Hoederer’s orbit and takes a position as Hoederer’s secretary, drawing him and his wife Jessica deeper into the charismatic leader’s circle. Jessica treats the mission as a game at first, but the proximity soon reveals the stakes.

As negotiations with non-socialist groups commence, Hoederer envisions a fragile united front against the Germans and a coalition government after the war. The plan hinges on pragmatic bargaining with conservatives and resistance alike to survive the war.

Olga Lorame visits Hugo and Jessica, delivering a warning about the dangers of the mission. Her message hints that Hugo could be replaced and that the plan must not be dismissed.

A warning bomb explodes at a critical moment when Hoederer seems close to sealing a deal. Although no one is killed, the blast unsettles Hugo and shatters his confidence in the mission and in his party's trust in him.

Jessica covers for Hugo by claiming she is pregnant, a ruse that mirrors acts of resistance and sacrifice in times of danger. The ruse emphasizes how secrecy functions as a tool of survival within the movement.

Hoederer articulates a broad strategy: enter government with other parties, secure ministerial posts, and shape policy after the war. He also warns that occupying armies leave political residues that the viable postwar left must navigate.

Hugo’s idealism hardens into a debate about purity versus pragmatism as Hoederer’s pragmatism strains his loyalty. He starts to view Hoederer not just as a mentor but as a formidable influence that could derail his own path.

Hugo and Jessica become entangled in Hoederer’s charisma, and a kiss from Hoederer tests their loyalties. The moment destabilizes Hugo’s resolve and heightens the sense of personal betrayal.

Overcome by conflicting loyalties, Hugo finally kills Hoederer. The murder marks a pivot from ideological struggle to personal catastrophe within the party.

Hugo is imprisoned and receives gifts from supporters, though some are poisoned. The gifts underscore that enemies are always watching and that trust within the movement is fragile.

On parole, Hugo seeks refuge with Olga, who reframes the event by revealing that Hoederer’s policy has already been adopted by Moscow and coalition rivals. The revelation shows how ends are rewritten by power and how personal sacrifice becomes a casualty of political calculus. The moral cost of the supposed purity fight becomes painfully clear.

Olga urges Hugo to live, but he remains convinced that the act will be subsumed by political expediency if he continues living. The realization crystallizes that his death could be the only meaningful final act for his ideal.

When hitmen arrive, Hugo asserts that he has not yet killed Hoederer but intends to do so, and then to take his own life. The stage ends with his defiant cry as a door is kicked open, leaving the audience to ponder the costs of revolution.