-Indiya 1975 goda - v period chrezvychaynogo polozheniya, vvedennogo Indiroy Gandi. Indiya - razdiraemaya mezhkastovymi, mezhreligioznymi i mezhnatsionalnymi raspryami, pestraya, tochno loskutnoe pokryvalo, kotoroe shet iz obrezkov tkani molodaya vdova Dina Dalal, priyutivshaya v svoem dome studenta i dvuh bednyh portnyh iz kasty neprikasaemyh. Snaruzhi gremyat politicheskie buri, vspyhivayut volneniya i besporyadki, no v ih kroshechnom dome tsaryat mir i soglasie. Oni daryat drug drugu lyubov i podderzhku, pomogaya uderzhivat hrupkoe ravnovesie na grani otchayaniya i nadezhdy-