Scene opens on the exterior of a two‑story building on Elysian Fields in New Orleans. Two women, white resident Eunice and a Black neighbor, sit on the steps as Stanley Kowalski and his friend Mitch arrive, tossing a meat package that Stella catches and laughs at. Stella greets Eunice and soon after Blanche DuBois appears, clutching a valise and a slip of paper that tells her to take a streetcar named “Desire” to Elysian Fields. Blanche, dressed in a white suit and pearls, looks bewildered and asks Eunice for her sister. Eunice directs her to the downstairs flat where Stella lives. Blanche is admitted, offered a seat, and the two sisters exchange strained conversation. Blanche mentions her loss of the family plantation Belle Reve, the death of her father, and her own exhausted state; Stella tries to comfort her while also revealing the cramped two‑room living situation. Their dialogue oscillates between nervous jokes and fierce accusations about Blanche’s abandonment of Belle Reve.

Soon after, Stanley returns with friends Steve and Mitch, loudly boasting about bowling and gambling. Stanley’s boisterous, animalistic demeanor is described in detail. He meets Blanche for the first time, questioning her background (“You’re a teacher?”) and offering her a drink, which she declines. He makes crude remarks about women, removes his shirt, and asserts his comfort in the household. The scene ends with Stanley confronting Blanche, who collapses in sickness after recalling a boy who died, hinting at further emotional turmoil.