It’s the story of a girl called Lila and her brother Hari who live in a small village in India. Threw all the story the author depicts how Lila and her brother try to take care of their two younger sisters and their ill mother, since their dad is a drunken man who used to work as a fisherman. The story begins with describing Lila’s usual day, as she wakes up really early and goes to the beach and throws petals on a sacred rock. Then she goes back home to make tea for her sisters and prepare them to school. On one of these days, Hari decided to take his sisters to school. On his way back Hari saw some metal pipes, and then he met his friend Ramu and asked him about these pipes. Ramu told him that they were going to built factories and they will soon find jobs. After that conversation Hari went to the field where he met Lila. There they talked about all the financial problems they were facing. Hari told Lila that he could go to Bombay to work and snd them the money. After that conversation, Hari took his fish net and went to the beach. There he heard some women gossiping about how a man called BIju is going to build a boat with an engine and how he gets his money from smuggling. He also saw some boats coming back from fishing trips. Then he decided to go back home for dinner, where after their meal the saw their drunk father coming from the pub.
Chapter 2:
One day, Lila was going to the to the market when she met her friend who invited Lila to come and watch the play in the temple but Lila knew that she could never make it since she had lots of work. Then they both went to the market, there they kept gossiping about Biju’s boat and his money gained by smuggling.
After some time, Biju’s boat was being built on the beach, where he and his wife would come and watch the process and then go back to their two storied house.
Bela and Kamal were having a conversation with Hari as they talked about smugglers in their village and about Hari’s wish to find a job on Biju’s boat or to go to Bombay.
After that conversation, Hari passed his time on the beach watching the boat being built. When one day Ramu told him that even if that boat is huge, Biju could only sail with it in the fishing season and that he couldn’t use it in the mansoon season. He also told him that they needed to find real jobs. Hari had now three possibilities in his mind: working on the Boat, working in the factory that was going to be built or going to Bombay. He has been worrying about that subject for ever. Until one day, the De Silva came to the village to spend their Christmas in their Bangalow. Instantly, Hari and Lila started working at the De Silva’s. Before they leave Mr. De silva promised Hari a job if he came to Bombay. He also offered to their father a job but he refused to employ him when he saw that he was a drunken.
After that event, Hari thought that the best option disposed right then was to find a job in the factory. When he went to the site where he talked to the gard who told him that people from the city were going to work in these factories and that the villagers here are so ignorant that they don’t even know what fertilizers are. Hari decides that he had to go to Bombay.
Chapter 3:
Lila’s mother is very ill. She has a really high fever, so Lila asks her sisters Bela and Kamal to go to their neighbors if they can bring a doctor. In fact, it’s a family of brewers, it is composed of three brothers always drunk and their mother, after the death of their father they never took care of their field or even bother to fish. When Bela and kamal went to their house, the mother told them that there was a man nearby who carries herbs with him. Bela and Kamal went home and waited for him. When he arrived they realized that he was the man who carried with him sacred cows and who gained his living by making people feeding the cow and selling herbs. When he came, he demanded food and water for his cows and tea for him. Then he went to see their mother. After rapidly examining her, he walked out of the house and asked the little girls to make a fire. Then he took the aches and cooled them. Then ordered them to make her eat that stuff and to put some of it under her pillow. He asked for money, however they didn’t have any so Lila gave him their mother’s engagement ring.
At night, one the 3 brewers brothers came brusquely to ask for money, since their father took lots of drinks without paying. He threatened to kill Pinto and their father. Then his mother came and took him home.
Chapter four:
Hari was so depressed to find a real job, so next day he decided to go near Biju’s boat and see if he could find any job on his boat. On the same moment Hari was going to ask him, the factory watchman came and grabbed Biju’s attention by saying that soon all their land will be taken by the government and their see will be polluted by the factories rubbish. These words made the villagers really angry because they won’t be only kicked out of their land, they won’t be employed in these factories. After that provocative conversation, the entire village was angry so was Hari. He decided to go to the market to buy some ice to his ill mother. On his way he saw some people gathering around a man who was inviting the villagers to participle in a protest that was going to take place in Bombay in front of the chief minister’s office. The man’s convictions excited Hari, he had the thoughts of going to Bombay. After that he bought the ice, he went home where he found his sisters crying since their neighbor poisoned Pinto because the depts of his father. It was like a punishment. Hari then decided to run away to Bombay and to leave that miserable village.