Untouched by the twentieth century, Thul, the small fishing village near Bombay, is still ruled by the age-old seasonal rhythms. Hari and Lila have lived in the village all their lives, but their family is now desperately down on its luck. Their father drinks; their mother is seriously ill; and there is no money to keep them fed and clothed. Delicately and exquisitely executed, Anita Desai's gentle and probing story traces the evolution of Hari and Lila into adults as each of them faces the family's predicament – just as the first signs of industrial India creep into their village.