Lanford Wilson's third play in the Talley family cycle, Talley & Son is a powerful examination of American values at the end of World War II. Set in Lebanon, Missouri, on the night of July 4, 1944 (the same night that the events of Talley's folly are happening), it pits Eldon Talley against both Calvin, his father, and Buddy, his older son. Eldon has worked hard to turn the family garment factory into a success, but old man Talley is scornful of his efforts, and Buddy would rather work in his grandfather's bank. Eldon hopes to leave the factory to his younger son, Timmy, but when he learns Timmy has been killed in the Pacific, he makes an unexpected decision that jolts the family and defies his father's rigid authority once and for all.