This text, from 1899, centers the character of Ivan (uncle Vânia) within a family that inhabits a decaying Russian rural property at the end of the 19th century. The huge country house is the backdrop for Ivan's suffocation, frustration for a past life in which he was unable to fulfill his dreams or assert himself in the face of the facts. It projects itself in Helena's youth, an impossible passion disputed by Astrov, a doctor and friend of the family, who too is haunted by the lost past and discouragement in the face of an uncertain future. Mirroring the decadence of Russian society at the end of the century, Tchékhov comes up with a simple and uncluttered writing, which gains enormous strength when spoken on stage, translated by actors aloud.