The play opens in a science lab of a mixed secondary school. David and Mrs Jones are in conversation about the Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs Boson particle. David is agitated and talks excitedly about the implications of the experiment while he tidies and prepares for the next lesson. Mrs Jones appears to be slightly distracted struggling to follow the conversation. David has a strong reaction when Mrs. Jones challenges what he is doing and prevents his attempt to leave the room.

We learn that something bad has happened that David seems unable to recall, his shirt sleeves have blood on them and they are waiting for someone else to arrive. He wishes he could go back in time and wonders if he is being punished for not believing in God.

The scene takes place on the playing field in early autumn near the school fence. A boy, Kyle, is discovered cutting worms in half. David is walking repeatedly around the outside of the school. Kyle explains that he is doing an experiment to see if you will get two worms, David tells him this will not happen and as they talk we learn that David has been ill and away from school for some time.

Kyle has an interest in science and they discuss the Schrödinger’s cat experiment, the multi dimensional universe and the newspaper stories about the Hadron Collider creating a black hole and destroying the earth.

They are interrupted by two other pupils, Reece and Chantay, who are initially verbally aggressive until David leaves and they bully Kyle more physically.

It is January in Mrs Jones’ office. As she sorts papers David arrives with some figures for her and they talk about the rumours of an impending inspection and the pressure it puts on everyone. They discuss David’s slowly improving mental health and his hobby of astronomy we learn that he is passionate about studying the stars and planets. Reece and Chantay arrive – they have been sent there because of disruptive behaviour in class.

Reece interrogates David about his absence and Mrs Jones tries to cover for him but Reece sees through the deception. Reece speculates openly about what has really happened and challenges the authority of Mrs Jones.

Mrs Jones and David are summoned to the headmaster’s office for a chat before David recommences his teaching; they meet Kyle in the doorway who presents David with a closed shoe box that he wants him to see. The box is returned to Kyle unopened as the two adults leave. Chantay tries to look in the box but Kyle refuses to let her. She Leaves. In the box is a frog; it is Kyle’s recreation of the Schrödinger cat experiment that he attempts to explain. Reece grabs the box, throws it to the floor and stamps on it repeatedly before walking out.

David and Mrs Jones return as Kyle storms out of the room leaving the broken box behind. They talk about the futility of repeatedly punishing pupils like Reece, and Mrs Jones tells David that a new radical approach is being tried. David leaves to find Kyle and Mrs Jones looks in the box before throwing it in the bin.

It is lunchtime in February. Equipment is laid out neatly in readiness for the afternoon’s science lesson. Kyle is conducting an experiment with radioactive materials as David supervises drinking his tea. They discuss Schrödinger’s cat, the properties of radiation, Marie Curie, matter and anti matter, and Kyle discloses that his father died of cancer.

The lesson begins and David attempts to settle the class down and get them to build a telescope using lenses and paper. The class either don’t understand or wilfully obstruct by asking tangential questions. Whenever Kyle answers a question correctly Reece mocks him.

David is asked by Chantay how he got into science. In the conversation that follows we learn that Kyle has a cat that is threatened by Reece and that Chantay’s brother is in the Middle East with the army and she sends him films recorded on her phone.

David leaves to bring in a real telescope and Reece attempts to flood and set fire to the classroom. Reece snatches the telescope and puts it to his eye unaware that that the eye piece has been blackened by shoe polish. Reece and David discuss the orbit of the moon and while David takes the telescope back out. Chantay shows Reece his blackened eye. Reece attacks Kyle before dropping the radioactive samples into David’s tea, storming out and setting off the fire alarm. Kyle delays his exit and challenges David about his lack of forethought, rejecting his help before leaving too. David drains his mug of tea and finds the samples in the bottom.

David and Mrs Jones are in her office discussing his health; he wants to talk about Reece. Kyle is brought in there has been complaint raised against David by Kyle’s mother. There has been an incident that has resulted in the death of their cat – it would seem that Kyle has been trying to replicate Schrödinger’s experiment much to the consternation of his mother. David is rebuked for his encouragement of Kyle and his irresponsibility in allowing pupils to access dangerous materials, but expresses concern for him as an inspection looms. David leaves and Kyle, Reece and Chantay are brought in and interrogated about the tea incident. Mrs Jones is called away and, as the pupils find and steal sweets from her desk, a bond begins to form between Kyle and Reece. Reece discovers and reads a medical report on David. Mrs Jones returns and reveals the radical new policy for dealing with persistent trouble makers is to send them on a day’s abseiling course to improve their team work skills. Kyle is presented with certificates for good work in Maths and Science. He is somewhat put out that this is his reward when Chantay and Reece get to go abseiling.

It is the summer term and Kyle, Reece and Chantay are sat in the playground eating sandwiches, Reece and Kyle are bantering with each other about the online game they were playing the night before. They re- enact some moments from the war game they were playing. Chantay is annoyed at them and leaves. David is on playground duty and walks over to tell them that the Hadron Collider is working. They mock him and as he leaves Reece throws a bread crust at him. David thinks it is Kyle that threw the bread and gives him a detention. Reece gives Kyle a can of spray paint to use on David’s car to get even.

A science lab as before. David is waiting anxiously by the door for late arrivals to class, and he reprimands Reece and Chantay. As David begins to introduce the lesson Kyle arrives and a fraught exchange results in Kyle getting a detention. The practical science element of the lesson begins and it rapidly spirals out of control until Reece is sent out of the room. Mrs Jones returns with Reece a few moments later insisting that he return to class as the inspectors are making a tour of the school. He is set a worksheet to do and proceeds to goad and hector David. Kyle sets his text book alight while David’s attention is taken with Reece. When challenged by David, Kyle swears at him and is dragged out by the scruff of his neck. Reece and Chantay report and film what is happening on the other side of the door.

We return to the first scene and pick up where we left off; Mrs. Jones and David are talking he speaks in a series of disjointed phrases about God, the Higgs Boson particle, event horizons and black holes. She tries to make him understand the severity of the injuries he has inflicted on Kyle. While they wait David muses on the floating hammer and how he used to be excited by the difference between what he can see happening and knowing that it shouldn’t be happening . He wishes he could go back in time and plans his evening in his observatory “putting those restless stars to bed”.