The setting of Firehouse Theatre’s latest production, “A Distinct Society,” is so improbable, it’s hard to believe it exists in the real world.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House literally straddles the border between Vermont and Quebec. While there, you can pull a book off a shelf in the United States, then walk across the room to check it out in Canada.

This unconventional geographic situation has led to real-life dramas but, with “A Distinct Society,” playwright Kareem Fahmy constructs a scenario that defies reality with its delicate complexity. He compounds the impact of his work by directing this production, assembling a small but mighty cast that powerfully elucidates each precise facet of the story.

In a quietly profound performance, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh plays an Iranian doctor who travels to the Haskell library to take advantage of its status as an international loophole. Entering from the Canadian side, he plans to meet his daughter, Shirin (Auveen Dezgaran), who is driving up from medical school in Boston.

However, this rendezvous unfolds shortly after Trump’s first election and, particularly after the Muslim travel ban, American authorities have tightened up security at the library, forbidding gift exchanges between visitors and restricting visits to only 5 minutes.

Representing this crackdown is the library’s border patrol officer Bruce Laird, played by Josh Marin. New to the job, Laird feels compelled to be tough, but at the same time, he is trying to gently woo the enigmatic Québécoise librarian, Manon (Grey Garrett).

Manon rules the library with conviction, strictly forbidding food and drinks, for instance, while at the same time leniently providing a safe haven for troubled teen Declan (JD Lawrence). Originally from Ireland and on the cusp of his 16th birthday, Declan finds solace from his many adolescent tribulations by reading the optimistic tales of the Green Lantern.

He looks up to Laird as a similar fighter of evil, while also warning the newcomer of Quebec’s “distinct society,” an underlying culture of fierce nationalism that belies Canada’s friendly reputation.

As the relationships between the characters progress, you can feel Fahmy winding the tension like a spring. When it comes, the release isn’t exactly unexpected but it’s still intense, poignant and heartbreaking.

Presiding over the play’s setting, Manon sits at the nexus point of its intensifying emotional stakes so Garrett’s sterling performance proves key to maintaining the production’s fragile balance. While clearly smitten with Officer Laird, she isn’t a hopeless romantic and some late-in-the-play revelations shed light on her conflicting impulses. Garrett manages to be fully empathetic while also maintaining a subtly steely resolve.

Ebrahimzadeh embodies the humanity of the play, calmly dignified in the face of indignity and still warm and funny even when facing a cold regime of distrust. Lawrence is a revelation as the young Declan, a roiling stew of immature emotion even as he argues for respect as “not a kid anymore.”

Though energetic opposites, these two are also the source of many of the play’s frequent laughs, humor borne out of keenly-felt emotions.

Marin and Dezgaran have relatively less character complexity to play with but their performances highlight the strength of the play’s writing. None of the characters are heroes or villains so, while Laird is the heavy of the piece, Marin also lets you see how he’s a victim of circumstance. And though Shirin may struggle the most, Dezgaran also reveals plenty of immature vindictiveness as tensions escalate.

James Ogden’s set design impeccably captures the vibe of a homey smalltown library and Mark Van Hare’s sound design includes peppy music that invokes Persian melodies while not copying them.

Though the play’s politics are unavoidable, there are no polemics; a solid grounding in each character’s individual challenges results in messaging that transcends our specific moment while also being bracingly relevant.

In enticing the playwright to town to direct, as well as recruiting former Richmond regulars like Marin, Firehouse’s artistic director Nathaniel Shaw continues to bolster his company’s regional reputation. “A Distinct Society” may not have the pizzazz of a “Peter and the Starcatcher” but it’s a soft power triumph sure to spur animated conversation.

“A Distinct Society” runs through Nov. 30 at Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad St. Tickets and information at https://www.firehousetheatre.org/.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of Maboud Ebrahimzade.