The story begins on an ominous note with the discovery of the skeletal remains of unknown persons at the bottom of an abandoned well. It moves back into the past to bring to life a fiery courtesan and a melancholic bride, both grappling with a sense of alienation, and searching for answers in their own way.

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Raseeli refused to fade away. From furtive rounds of sex in cold, damp basements, and servicing the carnal needs of men in all forms and contortions, she rises to be one of India’s earliest radio stars. On the other hand a young and nervous Bhagvati Sitara Devi, struggled under the weight of an onerous family name, and the demands of propriety. She was forever torn between her own desires and what was expected of her.

 

The book explores the complex entanglements of love through bits and pieces of an arranged marriage and a hopeless affair. The lives of the two women weave into one another, and bring us a tale of greed and lust, and a strange madness that sometimes accompanies all of us.