A retired professor has returned to his estate to live with his beautiful young wife, Jelena. The estate originally belonged to his first wife, now deceased; her mother and brother still live there and manage the farm. For many years the brother (Uncle Vanja) has sent the farm's proceeds to the professor, while receiving only a small salary himself. Sonja, the professor's daughter, who is about the same age as his new wife, also lives on the estate. The professor is pompous, vain, and irritable. He calls a doctor (Astrof) to treat his gout, only to send him away without seeing him. Astrof is an experienced physician who performs his job conscientiously, but has lost all idealism and spends much of his time drinking. The presence of Jelena introduces a bit of sexual tension into the household. Astrof and Uncle Vanja both fall in love with Jelena; she spurns them both. Meanwhile, Sonja is in love with Astrof, who fails even to notice her. Finally, when the professor announces he wants to sell the estate, Vanja, whose admiration for the man died with his sister, tries to kill him.
