The Browning Version is a one-act play and so the entirety of its narrative is confined to just one setting: a sitting room at a school in the south of England in the home of Andrew and Millie Crocker-Harris. Sixteen-year-old student John Taplow has arrived to discuss his studies with his teacher, knocks on the door and then lets himself in. Frank Hunter has been watching Taplow’s entire movements while remaining unseen himself and finally make his presence known, striking up a conversation with the young man.
Taplow explains his reasons for meeting with his teacher and hopes that his final results will be acceptable as he hopes to specialize in science. A discipline which just so happens to be the one which Hunter himself teaches. The conversation discloses that Mr. Crocker-Harris follows the headmaster’s stricter regimen of not releasing results before the last day of the term, situating him as running against the norm. The conversation becomes looser and less formal as Taplow demonstrates to Hunter his dead-on impression of Andrew. Frank urges him to do it again and then goes on to suggest that since “the Crock” is already ten minutes late, he might better enjoy cutting the meeting and doing something more amusing like playing golf to which Taplow responds in horror. He can just imagine Crocker-Harris hunting him down like prey if he were to cut out on the man. By the time Mrs. Crocker-Harris suddenly pops into the room, the conversation has completely lost the formality expected between student and teacher and Taplow is instantly alarmed that she has overheard his impression of her husband.
Instead, she explains that he’s been delayed with business at the Bursar’s office. She also lets him know that if he would rather leave than wait, it would be perfectly fine, but Taplow decides to wait. At that, she asks if he would then mind running down to the drugstore to get a prescription filled for her. He goes, leaving her alone with Frank.
It doesn’t take long for it to become clear why she was subtly urging Taplow and when he wouldn’t, gave him an excuse to do so: Frank and Millie Crocker-Harris are lovers. Their discussion turns to plans for a romantic summer rendezvous later on. It turns out that Millie did hear Taplow’s imitation of her husband and she remarks that it was quite good. Information is delivered: her husband once was more ambitious, but lost interest after it was clear he would not become headmaster, Andrew’s plans to vacate his position with the school using bad health (remember Taplow’s errand) as an excuse. Frank has reacted squirrelly every time Millie tries to kiss him, fearful that Andrew will enter and just as they are about to kill, he finally does show up. Instantly, his ire is raised over his wife’s sending Taplow off to fill a prescription.
The two men discuss the Crock’s decision to leave the school with Andrew explaining that he’s taking a new position at a private school for “backward boys.” Taplow finally gets back from the druggist and he and Crocker-Harris settle in for their scheduled meeting while Frank leaves and Millie starts cooking dinner.
The lesson at hand involves Taplow’s translating Agamemnon from the original Greek with what his teacher considers a little too much spirit. The lesson gets interrupted with the arrival of the headmaster, Dr. Frobisher who has arrived to discuss something privately with Crocker-Harris. Taplow is dismissed and Frobisher informs the other man that the family scheduled to move into his flat once he vacates—the Gilberts—will be stopping by for a quick visit. That turns out to be the good news. The bad news is that the school has opted to deny him a pension because he has been employed for just eighteen years. When Crocker-Harris inquires about a known exception to this particular rule, Frobisher avers that his case doesn’t meet with circumstances set by precedent.
The bad news keeps piling upon poor Andrew. As the senior member of the staff on the speaking list, he is entitled to give the closing address at a prize ceremony scheduled the next day. Instead, Frobisher wants him to speak first. After reluctantly giving in, the headmaster exits and Millie re-enters, rebuking his submissive lack of spirit for not fighting harder to receive the pension he earned. Put-upon husband is saved from faithless wife by the bell: the Gilberts have arrived.
As wife and wife head off to tour the rest of the home, Mr. Gilbert makes small talk with Andrew, flattering him with the word he had heard of his prodigious sense of discipline by remarking on Crocker-Smith being known around the campus as the “Himmler of the lower fifth.” Andrew seems less than flattered to be known as the equivalent of a classroom Nazi, however, and shares stories with the other man that point to his sad conclusion that he has failed as an educator. In an effort to make himself stand out as something of a unique character worthy of respect from his students, he has simply wound up disliked. The Gilberts depart as Taplow returns bearings gifts.
Or, more precisely, a single gift: Robert Browning’s translation of Agamemnon with a personal inscription of thanks and admiration from Taplow. The older man is genuinely touched and moved to show off the gift to now-returned Frank Hunter. Taplow gets the high sign to make his exit from his instructor and the Crock instantly starts to apologize for his outburst of emotion to Frank. While Frank attempts to be understanding, when Millie comes in and Frank shows her the book, she starts laughing and explains how Taplow was earlier mocking him in imitation. Andrew excuses himself to his room and Frank is instantly upon her, asking her to take back what she has just said and threatening to tell Andrew it was all a lie if she doesn’t. Frank is given insight into the dark, black soul of his lover that she has apparently successfully hidden up to now and so repulsed is he by what he sees that the breaks off their relationship. She blocks his attempts to leave, explaining that Andrew is no longer a man anymore, which only serves to intensity Frank’s disgust with her.
Andrew returns and Millie leaves. Frank tries to explain that was Taplow was imitating him, but not out of spite; the boy really and truly does like his teacher. He also confesses his conviction that the gift was genuine and meaningful and presses Andrew to keep hold of it with that spirit in mind. In response, Andrew derides Browning’s translation as not particularly inspiring enough to keep, anyway. In his despair, he also imagines that Taplow is at that moment mocking him for his maudlin reaction to a gift intended as a joke. Frank tries to convince this is not true. Before he leaves, he cautions Andrew against the wisdom of staying with Millie and is stunned to learn that Andrew has long been aware of their affair because, of course, Millie could not refrain from the joy of openly bragging about it. Frank tries to the other man to give him his new address so that he can come visit him when the new term begins in September.
Millie enters to ask is Frank is staying for dinner, but he tersely declines and finally manages to get out of the house. Millie turns to her husband and announces that Frank probably really will visit him in the future. She, however, will not. Andrew suggests that in the end neither of them will see him again. The phone rings and it is Frobisher. Crocker-Harris tells the headmaster he will be the second speaker at the ceremony tomorrow, hangs up and asks Millie to serve dinner.
Millie returns, and asks if Frank will stay for dinner. Frank declines and leaves. Millie tells Andrew that Frank will visit her, not him. Andrew does not believe he will visit either of them. He also tells her of his decision to stay for the summer. Millie informs him that she will not be going with him to his new job. When Dr. Frobisher phones, Andrew informs him that he will speak second at the ceremony. After he gets off the phone, he suggests that Millie serve dinner before it gets too cold to eat. As the curtain closes, she begins to do so.
