Complete Synopsis

Radium Girls

A Complete Synopsis

Act One

Grace Fryer, a former factory girl, is in a room in the U.S. Radium plant recounting her experience working in the factory to her attorney, Raymond Berry. Grace explains that she dropped out of school and started working at the factory when she was 15 years old, and that she enjoyed painting dials because it made her and the other factory girls feel like artists. Simultaneously, Arthur Roeder, current president of the U.S. Radium Corporation, separately speaks to his attorney, Edward Markley. Roeder argues that Dr, Von Sochocky, founder and former president of the Corporation, should be blamed for what they’re discussing instead of him. Roeder claims mixing powder into the paint and the overall processes in the factory were Von Sochocky’s original inventions, though neither knew of the harm it would do.

The narrative flashes back to 1918 New Jersey, when Grace and her friends Irene Rudolph and Kathryn Schaub are working in the factory. They jovially poke fun at each other while preparing for an inspection. They intend to scare their coworker Amelia Maggia and prepare by covering their faces with paint, but are surprised when Roeder, the new factory owner, Dr. Von Sochocky, the previous factory owner, and Mrs. Alma Macneil, their supervisor, enter instead. Roeder reminds the girls that the dials they’re painting save lives, since the boys in serving in WW1 depend on being able to clearly read the dials they use. He then tells the girls, “If you do right by us, we’ll do right by you.”

Dr. Marie Curie, the eminent French scientist, speaks at a press conference in New York to gain support for her Marie Curie Radium Club that is focused on humanitarian research. She tells the press she plans on continuing to experiment with radium to find better cancer treatments, and claims that radium has already cured many types of cancer, though doctors dispute her findings. Roeder views Curie’s recent positive publicity as a marketing opportunity for the United States Radium Corporation. He plans to bolster sales of his products by emphasizing their inclusion of radium. He also aims to compete with Standard Chemical, the industry’s current monopoly, by compiling every published article focused on radium and gaining respect from doctors and scholars alike. 

Back in the factory, Grace is told by Mrs. Macneil to continue wiping the brush in her mouth. Grace claims Von Sochocky told her not to because it was deemed unsanitary, but Macneil argues that the girls wasted too much paint by dabbing their brushes on cloths. Once Mrs. Macneil leaves, the girls discuss Amelia’s recent death, and Irene tells Grace Amelia’s death was due to syphilis. Mrs. Macneil returns with Roeder and Von Sochocky. Von Sochocky announces he is officially leaving his position. Roeder then informs the girls of his new directions for the company, and shares that some of them will be transferred to a Clock Company in Connecticut, since dials are no longer in high demand. After the bosses exit, and the three girls agree to transfer to the Clock Company together, Grace notices that Irene’s mouth is bleeding.

Grace quits her job at the Clock Company after working there for four years. Grace’s mother Anna Fryer, Grace’s fiancé Tom, and Grace share a meal together in Grace’s childhood home. Mrs. Fryer is mad at Grace for quitting because she is concerned for Grace’s financial stability, even though Grace recently got a new job at a bank. Mrs. Fryer also scolds Tom, Grace’s fiancé, for not being financially stable enough to get married. In a moment alone, Grace and Tom fantasize about having children. Tom kisses Grace, but her mouth hurts, and she tells him the dentist wants to pull another tooth. 

Roeder and Charlie Lee meet with Edward Markley. Lee serves as the Vice President of the U.S. Radium Corporation and Markley serves as the counsel for the U.S. Radium Corporation. An ex-factory worker, Hazel Kuser, is working with her own attorney to blame the factory for her deteriorating health. Roeder, Lee, and Markley make excuses for the four girls who have filed complaints, including the late Amelia. The men reason many girls were sick before they got to the factory, and worked in many other places that could have caused their symptoms. Markley mentions it’s too late for many of the girls to cause problems for the company, since they left more than two years prior and the statute of limitations is defined by a two-year grace period. The men decide to hire Dr. Cecil Drinker, a Harvard Professor, to check the working conditions. They also decide to try to pay off Hazel Kuser.

Another press conference is held in 1924. Reporters interview common citizens on the positive results of using radium for health treatments. William Bailey, an entrepreneur and a manufacturer of Radithor, claims he drinks a bottle a day to the press. Doctors express a need for further study. 

It is revealed that Irene has passed away. Grace, Tom, and Kathryn visit the health department to file a complaint on Irene’s behalf. Kathryn is the most determined of the three, and insists on filing another complaint. Irene was diagnosed with “phossy jaw,” yet the health department hadn’t followed up. Kathryn describes Irene’s intense deterioration to Grace and Tom. When the Clerk running the desk at the health department assures Kathryn that the factory where the three girls worked had been investigated and was deemed safe, since there was no trace of phosphorus, Kathryn catches the Clerk’s attention when she shares that Irene died. 

Roeder relaxes with his wife, Diane Roeder, and his young daughter, Harriet Roeder, in their home. He gives Mrs. Roeder a radium bottle and she drinks it. Upon Mrs. Roeder’s suggestion, Roeder agrees to contact Dan Lehman, a bricklayer, to give him work. 

Grace visits Dr. Joseph Knef’s dental office. Her jaw bone is decaying and he advises that she get surgery, since it could be fatal if left untreated. He also encourages her to discuss her situation with the radium company. Simultaneously, in a different location, Roeder receives a report from Drinker documenting the factory’s toxic conditions, and he recommends that immediate remedial action be taken. Alone, Roeder decides to only send the Department of Labor one page from Drinker’s report- the page that paints his organization in the most favorable light. 

Dr. Frederick Flinn, an industrial hygienist from Columbia University, visits Grace at her home. He reassures her that her health is perfectly fine, and that her mouth condition is a result of poor dental care and poor diet rather than the radium she was exposed to. Grace becomes suspicious of Flinn after learning he is credentialed with a Ph.D in Physiology. While Grace and Kathryn conclude that Flinn is fraudulent, Roeder pays Flinn for his work examining the factory girls. 

Grace and Tom approach the Women’s Club of Orange. Grace tells Katherine Wiley, a human rights advocate and the executive director of the New Jersey Consumer’s League, about her condition and her company’s lack of support. When Grace agrees that she won’t let the company buy her silence, and Wiley agrees to help Grace. Wiley intends to be a whistleblower, highly publicize Grace’s story, and get widespread public sympathy across America.

Act Two

Another press conference is held in 1927. They are now reporting on the “Radium Girls” who claim they were poisoned by their employer and are suing for $250,000 in court. Grace speaks publicly and is gracious yet forceful. 

The scene shifts, and Markley, Berry, and Wiley argue over a potential settlement. Markley reiterates the statute of limitations is on his clients side, and proposes that each girl receives $1,500. Berry believes the statute of limitations should be applied to when the cause of injury was discovered, and Wiley insists that the Consumer’s League campaign will motivate women across the country to boycott U.S. Radium Corp. products. 

Kathryn is in the hospital, and her condition has considerably worsened. Grace and Kathryn receive gifts and notes from random newspaper readers. They discuss their pending trial, but Kathryn expresses concern that they won’t win. Right after Tom enters to deliver gifts, a Sob Sister reporter arrives uninvited and offers Grace and Kathryn $5,000 to exclusively speak to her publication going forward. Grace and Kathryn consider the offer. They are behind on both house and medical payments and need the money, but Grace insists that they speak to Wiley before doing anything rash. 

Dr. Knef approaches Roeder with a business proposal. Knef proposes that he examine the girls and provide favorable diagnoses, thereby delaying their desire to go to court until their statute of limitations period has ended. Knef reasons that most of the girls in question are broke, and they would agree to his examinations because he wouldn’t charge- Knef would instead be paid by Roeder. Roeder is morally against Knef’s plan, and doesn’t agree to the proposal. However, Roeder is advised by his Board of Directors to use the x-rays Knef gave Roeder during their meeting to postpone the trial. 

The trial is postponed three months, but Wiley and Berry work to move it forward again. 

The girls go to court on January 12, 1928. Reporters reveal that the U.S. Radium Corporation lied to the Department of Labor, distorted the results of a Harvard Study, and demand postponement.

At home, Roeder and Mrs. Roeder debate the contents of the newspaper. Mrs. Roeder asks her husband if the accusations are true. He dismisses everything, calling the Consumer’s League a “bunch of radical women,” saying he didn’t lie to the Department of Labor but rather “didn’t agree with Drinker’s results, and claiming “people die every day.” Lee then visits the Roeder’s at their home to tell them that Dan Lehman died of severe anemia, and that Martland is blaming the radium. After Lee leaves, Mrs. Roeder throws away their case of radium bottles. 

Newspaper headlines on February 21, 1928, reveal that Amelia’s dead body is radioactive. They also highlight Radium Corp. founder Von Sochocky claiming that radium is “one of the most dangerous substances known to man” and “is responsible for the deaths of these poor girls.”

At Grace’s house, Tom tells Grace she should agree to a settlement, but Grace refuses to back down. He then proposes that they buy a house to plan for their future together. Grace gets mad and tells him to not believe in a future for them, and gives him back her engagement ring. He doesn’t accept it and says he’ll return to her the next day. 

Roeder tells Lee he wants to settle the case and provide the girls with a reasonable financial offer. Lee disagrees, and reminds Roeder that he is on the hook if the company goes under saying “think about the next time your conscious starts to bother you.”

On March 15, 1928, Markley states one of his witnesses has a scheduling conflict and requests an extension until June. 

Grace has a stress dream in which Marie Curie, Irene, and Kathryn force her to rapidly paint dials, and Kathryn dies. When Grace awakes she tells her mother, Mrs. Fryer, about the dream, and fears if Kathryn dies before the case they won’t win. Markley then arrives at Grace’s home, and tries to convince her to accept $1,500 and sign a contract saying she agrees to “hold the company harmless from any further action.” Mrs. Fryer tries to force Grace to sign the papers, but she powerfully refuses. 

Roeder visits Von Sochocky’s home. Von Sochocky tells Roeder he truly didn’t know the paint was dangerous. As Roeder plans to testify that he didn’t know anything about radium’s dangerous potential, Von Sochocky then brings the compilation of articles Roeder published and authorized to his attention. There are articles that claim radium is dangerous that date back to 1906. Roeder honestly tells Von Sochocky that he didn’t actually read the articles he published. 

In court, the judge rules that the statute of limitations is not exhausted, the girls have a right to sue, and the case will go to trial. Markley then convinces the judge that key witnesses won’t be available for many months, and the judge agrees to schedule the trial for that September, a ruling that is detrimental for the girls given their rapidly declining health. Grace stares at Roeder from across the courtroom, but he doesn’t look back at her. 

In another press conference on June 4, 1928, Lee gives $10,000 to each girl and medical coverage for life. He is not admitting responsibility, but claims the money merely a humanitarian offering. 

Kathryn has passed away, and Grace visits her grave. Tom arrives, and tells Grace he’s happy she and Kathryn received the money they deserved. Grace tells him, “we didn’t back down. They backed down.” Roeder arrives, sees her at a distance, but can’t look at her. Grace knows he is afraid of her.

It is the 1940s and Roeder is a much older man. He walks with his adult daughter to the spot he last saw Grace in the cemetery. He recounts how he couldn’t look at her and couldn’t speak to her, even though he wanted to. He then remembers seeing the girls painting dials in the factory, but is tortured by his inability to remember their faces.