After her mother’s death, theater director Gwen Rivlin is determined to keep the large, shabby turreted house where they grew up. But the cost, suburban setting, single-family zoning laws, and skeptical neighbors all seem determined to drive her out. Seeking both a way forward for the changing community and an escape from her grief, Gwen stages Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard inside her home—a play about a family fighting to save its own estate. She casts friends, coffee-shop coworkers, and local residents, transforming the house into a temporary theater and gathering place. As the production unfolds, Gwen begins repairing old relationships, confronting her complicated feelings about her mother, and discovering a new sense of belonging. Through art, community, and loss, she ultimately creates an unconventional family of her own. Rachel Pastan is the author of the acclaimed novels Alena, a NY Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” and has taught at Bennington, Swarthmore, Temple and Drexel Universities.