It's another normal day at a small-town station, where a handful of passengers are waiting for the stopping train. Thomas Hudetz, the well-liked station master, is momentarily distracted by a young woman. Seconds later eighteen people are dead.

Standing in the wreckage of the 405 Express, can Thomas accept the truth that is hurtling towards him? If not, how long can he postpone the day of judgment?

Christopher Hampton's translation of Ödön von Horváth's Judgment Day premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in September 2009

Translated by: Christopher Hampton