The House of Culture is packed with high-class Polish Jews, assembled to watch a children's theater performance. They applaud madly for a group of children who dance as if they're skating on ice, a glorious illusion. As the dancers leave, agitators slip sheets of paper in the theater proposing a boycott, but the theater-goers ignore them (just as they ignore the cryptic _transport=death _messages they so often receive).

A party of Jewish councilmembers and Elder Trumpeldor with his wife descend the aisle to watch the show, a children's rendition of Macbeth. This town not being a cultural center, the audience is not familiar with Shakespeare's work, but they marvel at the eerie fog, the realistic sets and the horrific witches. They salivate at the feast brought out at Macbeth's castle, and shiver at Lady Macbeth's cruelty. When King Duncan walks out covered in blood, the crowd positively explodes. One of the councilmembers shouts, "It's only a play!" Indeed, the Jews had grown accustomed to equally horrific sights in their own lives.

The audience look to Mr. and Madame Trumpeldor to mimic their reactions to the show. At one humorous point, the Madame doubles down in laughter and proclaims that the actors playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth must in fact be playing herself and her husband. At another Trumpeldor shouts that a play can't frighten him, that he'd like to know who is responsible for the production, and that he himself is not a bad man. Just then the transport train whistle blows, and the Jews look uncomfortable. One suggests they leave but Trumpeldor urges everyone to stay and watch the end of the play, so they do. When the forest of Dunsinane descends upon Macbeth, they jeer and yell for the traitor to be killed. But looking around, they realize they are surrounded not by children pretending to be trees but by armed policemen in green uniforms. Trumpeldor stands up and asks anyone who hates him to assassinate him then and there, and when no one does he confesses his motive - sacrificing the few to save the many. He strides out and into the Trainmasters' sauna, demanding they release the theater-goers in the House of Culture.  But somehow he collapses in the hot steam, and when he comes to the House of Culture is practically empty, spare the orphan actors.