Lubov Ranevsky arrives at her family estate after five years abroad, crying with joy upon seeing her childhood nursery.

Lopakhin proposes dividing the estate into lots for villas, claiming Lubov can earn a profit and save her fortune.

Lubov rejects the idea of cutting down the cherry orchard, calling it the only remarkable thing in the province.

Varya tells Anya the estate's debts are unpaid and the property will be auctioned in August.

Trofimov arrives as a surprise visitor, and Lubov weeps upon recognizing her drowned son's former tutor.

Gaev tells Anya and Varya he can arrange a loan to pay the interest and save the estate.

Lopakhin warns Lubov that the wealthy businessman Deriganov is planning to purchase the estate at auction.

Lopakhin loses patience with Lubov's refusal to discuss the estate and shouts that she is an old woman.

Lubov throws a lavish party at the estate while the auction for the property is being held in town.

Lubov asks Varya why she hasn't married Lopakhin; Varya says he is too busy getting rich to propose.

Lopakhin returns from the auction and announces that he has purchased the cherry orchard estate.

Lopakhin declares that he now owns the land where his grandfather and father were enslaved as serfs.

Lubov collapses in grief at the news of the sale, while Varya throws her keys on the floor and leaves.

Lubov and Gaev are left alone in the nursery and share a tearful final goodbye to their childhood home.

Fiers, the old servant, is discovered alone and locked inside the abandoned house, forgotten by the departing family.

Lubov Ranevsky returns home after five years abroad to find her beloved estate drowning in debt and facing an August auction. Lopakhin, whose ancestors were serfs on the property, offers a practical plan to save it by demolishing the house and replacing the cherry orchard with profitable villas, but Lubov refuses to consider it. As summer passes, Lopakhin grows increasingly frustrated with Lubov's denial, warning her that a powerful rival plans to bid at auction, while she throws parties and ignores the looming crisis. When the auction day arrives, Gaev travels to town with money borrowed from their aunt, but Lopakhin outbids everyone and purchases the estate where his family was once enslaved. The family gathers to say their goodbyes, scattering to new lives, and Lubov and Gaev share a final tearful farewell to their childhood home. After everyone departs, the old servant Fiers is discovered locked inside the empty house, forgotten and dying as the sound of axes fills the air.

The rise and fall of the Ranevsky estate.

Lopakhin and the maid Dunyasha wait in the predawn nursery for Lubov's overdue train to arrive.

Epikhodov presents Dunyasha with flowers and complains to Lopakhin about his new, perpetually squeaky boots.

Dunyasha tells Lopakhin that Epikhodov has proposed marriage to her, though she finds him deeply unlucky.

Yasha arrives at the estate with luggage, and an overexcited Dunyasha breaks a saucer greeting him.

Anya tells Varya that Lubov is living in poverty in Paris but continues spending money as if she were wealthy.

Gaev dismisses Lopakhin's plan to save the estate by building villas, calling the entire proposal absurd.

Varya delivers two telegrams from Paris to Lubov, who tears them up without reading a word.

Charlotta tells the picnicking group she doesn't know her own age or anything about her family.

Epikhodov produces a revolver and tells Dunyasha he cannot decide whether to live or shoot himself.

Dunyasha confesses her love to Yasha, and he kisses her before announcing that Lubov is approaching.

Fiers arrives carrying Gaev's coat and recalls the serfs' emancipation, saying he never agreed with it.

An eerie sound like a breaking string suddenly rings out across the field, unsettling everyone present.

Charlotta performs magic tricks at the party, including making Anya and Varya appear from behind a shawl.

Gaev returns from the auction in tears and rushes into the billiards room without explaining what happened.

Dunyasha weeps as Yasha prepares to depart for Paris; he dismisses her feelings and says he is eager to go.

Before Lubov even arrives, the estate's servants reveal a household already in disarray, with Dunyasha dressed above her station and Epikhodov pursuing her despite his relentless bad luck. Anya returns from Paris with a sobering account of her mother's poverty and reckless spending, while Gaev dismisses Lopakhin's rescue plan and Lubov tears up letters from her Paris lover unread. In the field outside the orchard, the servants' private dramas continue — Charlotta reveals her lonely past, Epikhodov brandishes a revolver, and Dunyasha declares her love for the indifferent Yasha. An eerie, inexplicable sound like a snapping string unsettles the whole group, and Fiers links it to the emancipation he still refuses to accept. At the party in Act III, Charlotta entertains the guests with magic tricks while the real drama builds offstage, ending when Gaev slinks home from the auction in silent tears. Finally, as the household disperses, Dunyasha cries over Yasha's departure for Paris, and he dismisses her feelings without a second thought.

The servants, subplots, and overlooked moments.

Lopakhin recalls how a young Lubov once cleaned his bloody nose after his drunken father struck him.

The old servant Fiers shuffles in, overjoyed that he has lived long enough to see Lubov return home.

Lubov drops her purse in the field and spills gold coins as Lopakhin presses her to address the estate crisis.

Lubov confesses her years of tragedy in Paris to Lopakhin, including a suicide attempt after being robbed and abandoned.

Trofimov argues that Russia's intellectuals talk endlessly about progress while doing nothing and treating servants poorly.

A vagrant appears and begs for money; Lubov hands him a gold coin despite having almost nothing left.

Anya tells Trofimov she no longer loves the cherry orchard the way she once did.

Trofimov tells Anya the cherry orchard holds the memory of the serfs who suffered and labored there.

Anya promises to leave her family home forever, and Trofimov declares that happiness is on its way.

A telegram falls from Lubov's sleeve at the party, revealing that her Paris lover still writes to her daily.

Lubov calls Trofimov a freak for lecturing her about love; he storms out furiously but quickly returns.

Anya rushes in during the party to announce that the cherry orchard has been sold.

Anya comforts the weeping Lubov, saying they still have their lives and will plant a new, better garden.

Lopakhin and Trofimov embrace warmly before parting; Trofimov refuses the money Lopakhin offers for his journey.

Lopakhin and Varya are left alone together but share only awkward small talk; he leaves without proposing.

Beneath the surface of the estate's financial crisis lie a series of private confessions and emotional turning points that shape the characters' fates. Lopakhin's complex loyalty to Lubov is rooted in a childhood memory of her kindness, while Lubov's reckless generosity and her inability to stop spending are on display from the moment she arrives. In a pivotal scene in the fields, Lubov reveals the full depth of her tragedy in Paris — including a suicide attempt — just before Trofimov lectures the group about Russia's failure to embrace hard work and progress. Alone with Trofimov after the others leave, Anya acknowledges that she no longer sees the cherry orchard through rose-tinted eyes, and the two share a vision of a freer, better future. At the party in Act III, hidden telegrams, sharp words, and Anya's announcement that the orchard is sold all escalate the crisis to its breaking point, culminating in Lubov's devastation. In the final act, the two relationships that were meant to anchor the family's future — Trofimov and Lopakhin's unlikely friendship, and Lopakhin and Varya's stalled romance — reach their quiet, definitive ends.