This is the story of Mira Kannadical who lives simultaneously in a private world of lyrical intensity and a public world of violence and torture. Mira who hopes to lead an ideal life after her return home from England finds her India teeming with confusion and unrest. Realising the futility of her desire to lead a Utopian life in a world of harsh realities, Mira turns away from poetry and looks to people around her to help define herself Durgabai, practical and devoted to her patients; old Swami Chari, preaching that the world s sufferings are only an illusion; and her rebellious lover Ramu, urging her towards dangerous political action.