Act 1 opens with George reciting the elements and principles of his art. He repeats these throughout the play when searching for clarity within his work. He paints his lover and model, Dot, as she longs to be admired by George as much as he admires his paintings. Over the course of several Sundays, we observe George as he paints the parkgoers, concentrates on his method, and grapples with his relationship with Dot. As this primary plot unfolds, glimpses of the painting’s subjects are brought to life. We see young women fall for soldiers, American tourists, and nosy children, all subjects of Seurat’s original painting. Dot is revealed to be pregnant with George’s child, but is moving to America with her new husband, Louis. The act ends with madness unfolding as George calls upon his elements, composing the figures into the painting we know today.

Act 2 begins with the characters of the painting complaining about being hot and stuck in the same position on the canvas. The play skips ahead to the modern day, or more so, 1984, when the musical opened. George and Dot’s great-grandson, also an artist named George, is unveiling his newest piece at a museum, titled “Chromolume #7”. He does so with his grandmother, Marie, and they share Dot’s history. George is skeptical about being a descendant of George, but Marie attempts to reassure him with Dot’s old grammar book. At the following reception, George makes his way around the room, conjuring versions of himself to be in multiple conversations at once. The only figure he can’t sway is an art critic, who urges him to try something new. Weeks later, Marie is dead, and George is invited to present the Chromolume on the island in France. Feeling unsure of his place as an artist, George turns to Dot’s grammar book. A version of Dot appears and lets George confide his worries. She tells him to recite the principles, and the show ends with the subjects of the painting arranging into a tableau of the piece.