Set in late-19th-century Russia, Chekhov's commentary on class struggle and the clash of the old and new orders takes the form of a domestic dispute over an inherited cherry grove. Madame Ravensky and her brother Gayev own the orchard in question. The once-aristocratic family faces mounting debts, yet they are incapable of changing their extravagant ways. Meanwhile, Russia's future and the economic systems of capitalism and communism are being debated. Anton Chekhov's last play, a timeless comedy-drama, evokes loss, longing, and the relentless passing of time.