The town of Copperville is preparing for the celebration of a lifetime, sixty years since its founding college was built, a week-long spectacle of music, theatre, politics and spectacle. The mayor negotiates favors. A philosophy professor nurses a quiet obsession. An ambitious councilman plots his ascent. A freshman with talent and nerve sets her sights on the stage. And somewhere beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary provincial life, its rivalries, its gossip, its carefully maintained appearances, someone moves through the shadows, orchestrating events with the invisible precision of a director who never takes a bow. As rehearsals begin and the town’s characters assume their roles, it becomes increasingly unclear who is performing for whom, and whether any of them ever had a choice in the matter.