The Cherry Orchard really is about a cherry orchard. It's the central plot device in the play. The question "Will the orchard be saved?" gives us a bit of suspense in Chekhov's otherwise leisurely plotting. The cherry orchard is also the central symbol in the play; how each character responds to the orchard – and weighs in on its future – defines how they view the past. For more on that, go to "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory."