Set in 1949, the play imagines the rumored love affair between famous novelist Mary McCarthy and young aspiring academic Paul de Man. Later in his life, de Man gained worldwide notoriety as the foremost American promoter of deconstruction, a concept inspired by German philosopher Martin Heidegger. The story exposes de Man's hidden past in war-torn Belgium, where he was suspected as an embezzler and Nazi collaborator. "At a time when the concept of what "truth" is draws more and more interest, this play looks back to the roots of the controversy," said Leaf. "Does objective reality actually exist? If so, what are the consequences of a philosophy that denies that reality?"

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