The Prozorov sisters (Olga, Masha, and Irina) yearn for the excitement of Moscow; their dreary provincial life is enlivened only by the arrival of the Imperial Army. The sisters' dreams of a new life are crushed when their brother marries a woman they consider ill-bred and mortgages the house; the army is withdrawn, and Irina's fiance is killed in a duel. The characters of Three Sisters are outstanding examples of Chekhovian boredom, longing, and listlessness.