Mr. Brenner makes a down payment on a house. The house's owners, Cissie and Johanna Enright say that they don't want to sell. He threatens them with a lawsuit, but is poisoned. He collapses and the sisters discuss what they should do. Joanna wants to finish him off more poison while Cissie prefers a gun. Brenner revives and pitches on sister against the other. He gets the gun from Cissie and shoots Johanna. Cissie gives Brenner more poison whilst he phones the police, telling them that Johanna poisoned him and that he shot her. Finally, the poison kills him and the house is all hers.

One year ago, Mr. and Mrs. Borden were brutally murdered in their home, and it is widely believed that their daughter Lizzie committed the crimes, even though she was tried and acquitted. Lizzie and her sister Emma are still living in the same home, but Emma now plans to leave on a vacation to rest her nerves. The sisters' housemaid Margaret is also planning to leave, to avoid being alone with Lizzie. As Emma and Margaret discuss their plans, a woman arrives at the door, and introduces herself as a newspaper reporter. Emma desperately tries to get the visitor to leave, but the pushy reporter insists on questioning Emma about all of the details of the murders, bringing Emma to a state of near hysteria. In the midst of their confrontation, Lizzie herself comes down the staircase, and immediately takes control of the situation.

19世纪末20世纪初，俄国资本主义迅速发展，贵族庄园逐渐崩溃。
天蒙蒙亮，柳苞芙带着她的小女儿还有仆人，从巴黎回到了俄罗斯。柳苞芙的樱桃园即将被拍卖抵债，她必须回来看看，想想办法，如何保住她心爱的庄园。
虽然樱桃园拍卖在即，但庄园里的人还是整天悠闲自在地消磨时光，他们更多的在幻想而非身体力行。庄园早已资不抵债，却要给一张书柜开个纪念晚会，柳苞芙早已囊中羞涩，却要在乞丐面前装阔气，女仆幻想着自己是位小姐，白发的先生依然把自己当成一名在校大学生……
远处传来空空的砍树声、天边外神秘的弦裂声，在众人的幻想中，樱桃园被拍卖了，而它的新主人竟然是……

Grace Caldwell是宾夕法尼亚州一位年轻的报纸继承人，与丧偶的母亲住在一起，在受到年轻人的殷勤时，她很难克制自己。随着关于她的行为的消息开始传播，格蕾丝成为她母亲心痛的主要来源，也是她哥哥担忧的主要来源。