She explains that she married George in part because her father had his eyes on him as a potential future president, but later lost confidence in him. When George leaves to get more alcohol, Martha begins telling Honey and Nick about the circumstances of their marriage. Honey is followed into the room by Martha. Honey returns and tells George that she’s heard about his son-George is distressed by this news. George accuses Nick of rearranging chromosomes in order to make everyone identical. George believes that Nick is in the Math department, but Nick explains that he teaches Biology, with a particular research focus on genetics. Nick snaps, irritated with George’s crassness. George provokes Nick, and then tells him about the campus practice of “musical beds”-of sleeping with other professor’s wives. Martha and Honey excuse themselves to go to the restroom. They begin to discuss the party-Nick, a new professor, expresses his gratitude for the president’s parties in helping him grow acquainted to the college. The doorbell rings and George opens the door right as Martha is yelling to him “Fuck you!” Nick and Honey, their guests, look as though they regret having come. Martha sings, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” to the tune of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,” which she seems to have invented at the party, and laughs hysterically at it. They bicker drunkenly with one another, and Martha informs George that they have guests coming over, even though, as George reminds her, it is two o’clock in the morning. The play begins with Martha and George returning from a party at Martha’s father’s house.
The play takes place on a New England college campus, in the home of a professor, George, and his wife, Martha, the daughter of the college president.