The film is modeled on Anton Chekhov's 1899 play Uncle Vanya, though the gender roles are often subverted.

[2] Allen's intention for September was that it be like "a play on film," hence the great number of long takes and few camera effects.

The cast includes Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden, and Denholm Elliott.

Lane is close to two neighbors: Peter, a struggling writer, and Howard, a French teacher.

Diane, once a well-known actress, wants Peter to write her biography, primarily because, many years earlier, a teenage Lane supposedly shot her mother's abusive lover.

Lane does not want this painful event to go back in the spotlight, but Peter thinks it would make a great story.

The next morning, a real estate agent is showing a couple around the house; Lane is counting on the money from the sale to move back to New York.

It originally starred Sam Shepard as Peter (after Christopher Walken shot a few scenes, but was determined not to be right for the role), Maureen O'Sullivan as Diane, and Charles Durning as Howard.