Rashida, an Indian Muslim woman with a questing spirit, falls in love with an author whose work she admires, though she's never laid eyes on him. She refuses other suitors, to the horror of her large, loving family. After years of political turmoil have convulsed India, with the author's fate unknown, he suddenly appears at her door. Rashida marries him at last, and sees him for the first time on their wedding night. His ugliness, slovenly habits, vanity--and finally, treachery--throw her emotions and her family's life into chaos. She begins a scandalous affair with a handsome teacher, defying her culture and destroying her family's honor. Rashida's story unfolds against a sweeping panorama of Indian history and culture, and a vivid, sensuous portrait of a changing India.