A retired professor returns to his estate with his beautiful young wife Yelena. The estate originally belonged to his now-deceased first wife; her mother and brother still live there and manage the farm. For many years the brother (Uncle Vanya) has sent the farm's proceeds to the professor, while receiving only a small salary himself. The professor's daughter Sonya, who is about the same age as his new wife, also lives on the estate. The professor is pompous, vain, and irritable, and calls Dr. Astrov to treat his gout, then sends him away without seeing him. Astrov is an experienced physician who performs his job conscientiously, but has lost all idealism and spends much of his time drinking. Yelena's presence introduces a bit of sexual tension into the household: Astrov and Uncle Vanya fall in love with her and she spurns them both. Meanwhile, Sonya is in love with Astrov, who never notices her. When the professor announces he wants to sell the estate, Vanya, whose admiration for the man died with his sister, tries to kill him.
