Twenty six year old Anil Bagchi has been a timid person from his childhood. He works in an insurance company in Dhaka and lives in a house with others. His school teacher father and the only elder sister Atoshi live in their village Rupeshwar. His mother had died at his birth. The idealist and honest father has tried to imbue his ideals in Anil. The old man loves nature and believes that there are certain manifestations of nature that no artist can capture in paint these can only be felt at the depth of ones heart. Atoshi loves a young man who is a Muslim, but cannot tell anyone about it. She keeps it as a secret to herself.
It is towards the middle of 1971 when Dhaka is a besieged city. The brutal Pakistani occupation keeps everyones nerves on the edge. One day very early in the morning Anil receives a letter from the Head Master of Rupeshwar School. The Head Master informs him that his father had been killed by the Pakistani military and that Atoshi was staying with him. He warns Anil not to go to the village as it is no longer safe for young Hindu men. Anil, however, ignores the Head Masters warning. The journey is fraught with danger, but he takes leave from office and boards a bus to Rupeshwar. The journey proves to be one of utmost uncertainty.
On the way Anil gets to know a middle aged man named Ayub Ali who is accompanied by his wife and daughter. Ali is a thoroughly boring character and likes to talk. He initially appears quite a reactionary but gradually Anil comes to admire his humanity. He instructs Anil never to reveal his Hindu name to anyone. He tells him to go by the name of Ali's brother-in-law, Mohsin. At one point of the journey the bus is stopped by Pakistani military personnel and everyone is ordered to disembark. When Anil is asked his name, he tells his real name. Ayub Ali risks his own life trying to save Anil. At one stage Ali breaks down like a child and starts crying. Of course that does not have any impact on Anils captors. Before he is led away, Anil requests Ali to visit his sister and tell her to marry the man of her choice.
Anil's captors take him to the bank of a river when the night is awash in moon light. Anil loses himself in appreciation of the moonlit night until the fatal bullet is shot.
