Set in a south Indian village, the story moves from the early part of the 20th century to the 1980s, and is set in the background of the now-defunct but then-powerful matrilineal system in which descent is traced through the female line. It is a story of incredible heartbreaks and strange honor codes; the story of women driven to insanity by chilling cruelty and blind ego; the story of men and women who surrender to their fate and valiantly bear the pain all their lives; and of the few who manage to challenge their destinies and survive.