"How rare and satisfying to encounter a knowledgeable and gripping play about the world of business! Calculated Risk is not only a lively thriller but also a valid contemporary document." With these words the critic for The New York Times helped launch one of the longest-running plays of the season. 

In his first play since Desperate Hours, Mr. Hayes has injected continuous suspense into a play about a mill in a small town, the owners of which suddenly discover that some buccaneer is cornering their stock on the open market in an effort to gain control of the corporation and its liquid assets. The board decides to use up all its cash reserve to purchase raw material, so that the raider would find the cupboard bare. But when the raider issues an ultimatum to prevent this, we realize that someone on the board is selling out the company. Who is he? 

As time grows shorter, the grip of suspense tightens. Joseph Cotton, as the heir of the mill, sends his wife, Patricia Medina, to the big city to make contact with the loan sharks who are thought to have advanced money to the raider. The news also leaks out, but now the president knows who the traitor is. It's a very dangerous bluff on the part of the president, and certain disaster threatens the whole community right up to the final ruse.