One year after the death of their colonel father, the Prozorov siblings—Olga, Masha, Irina and Andrey—struggle to find excitement and hope for the future in the stultifying stillness of their lives in a provincial Russian town. Orbiting around the Prozorovs are Chebutykin, an army doctor with longtime ties to the family; Tuzenbach and Solyony, both in love with the bright-eyed Irina; and the mysterious, philosophical Captain Vershinin.
Years pass, and Olga grows more tired and unhappy as a schoolmistress at the local high school; her dream of a happy marriage fades. Masha falls more deeply in love with the married Vershinin and grows angrier and more frustrated in her own marriage. Irina continues to ward off suitors and attempts to find fulfillment through work. When hapless Andrey and his new wife Natasha have children, Natasha begins to take over the family home. The sisters keep their hope of returning to Moscow and a better life flickering in the distance.
As the minute dramas of daily life unfold, the Prozorovs and their friends, lovers, in-laws, and acquaintances are forced to confront their desires, their fears, and their disappointments, and decide for themselves what it means to go on living.