Richard James Aloysius Keane is a lion of the theater, a visionary director and producer, the recipient of a National Medal of Arts for his contributions to American drama...and a tired man. His outdoor Elizabethan theatre, the Mountain Rose, lures acclaimed actors and astute theatergoers from around the world. But after 45 years of service in all weathers, this " Wooden O" is showing its age. Keene has begun to wonder whether it's time for them both to take a final bow. Mountain Rose production manager Kate Moraila isn't ready to say goodbye yet to this dream of a great theatre in a small town. She hopes their newest actor, Peter Dunmore, will throw himself into the fight to save the Rose. But can this fiery young " cross between Sir John Gielgud and Ryan Gosling" attract a new generation of fans to the footlights? Or will his hidden past ring down the final curtain on the fabled Mountain Rose?