Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia, named after characters in Chekhov's plays by their parents (both of whom were professors active in community theatre), live in the family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Vanya and Sonia have not had to grow up. After spending their adulthood looking after their now-dead parents, neither has a job, and money is provided by their movie star sister Masha, who owns the house and pays the bills. Vanya (who is gay) and Sonia (who is forever reminding everyone that she is adopted) spend their days reflecting on their lost chances, debating whether the grove of nine cherry trees on their property constitutes an orchard