During the turmoil of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Maria Chekhov, Anton's sister, placed many of her late brother's manuscripts and papers in a safety deposit box in Moscow. 

In 1921 Soviet scholars opened the box, and discovered a play. The title page was missing. The play they found has too many characters, too many themes, too much action. All in all, it's generally dismissed as unstageable. Like life.