Layla Roy has defied the fates. Despite being born under an inauspicious horoscope, she is raised to be educated and independent by her eccentric grandfather. And, by clever manipulation, she has found love with Manik Deb, a man betrothed to another. These were minor miracles in India that spring of 1943, when most young women's lives were predetermined. But powerful changes are sweeping India on the heels of the Second World War.