After her mother's untimely death, Rebecca Joseph assumes the responsibility of raising her three younger siblings in 1920s Calcutta. The siblings are used to poverty, but their troubles are exacerbated by a father who, despite religious tendencies, lives a life of excess. When British soldiers arrive in Calcutta in the early 1930s, the lives of all in the Joseph family are changed forever and none more so than that of Rebecca herself. This is a bittersweet look at an imperfect perfectionist and the far-reaching consequences of her decision to adopt out a wanted child to save family honor.