In the Iceman Cometh, regulars at a Greenwich village bar await the return of Theodore "Hickey" Hickman, a salesman who always throws a party when he arrives. But, this time, Hickey has found salvation and is completely sober. The play examines the futility of pursuing the American Dream. Each of the patrons in the bar have given up on their dreams or somehow betrayed themselves, including Hickey, who reveals that he has killed his wife and ends up turning himself in.