Jodie is mentally ill and now in her mid-forties. She lives at home with her parents. They are retired, and Jodie's life revolves around her parents' lives.

This night - the night we see in Jodie's Party - is the night of her parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

She has planned a surprise party and invited lots of guests. Her brother, who left home twenty years ago after a family argument, returns for the party. None of the invited guests show up.

When it becomes obvious that her party has fallen flat, Jodie launches into a manic episode. It's hard for her to realize that the party was always an illusion. Instead, she looks for someone to blame and picks her brother. This causes them to rehash the bitter argument they had twenty years before. He is angered because he expected his visit to be a reconciliation.

Jodie's grandmother, an elderly Russian woman, provides comic relief early in the play. Later, when Jodie loses control and the family reacts, the grandmother has a nervous reaction. Beth and Jerry, the parents, once again become the family caretakers.

Thus, a surprise party that never happens turns into a family fiasco.