Ramcharan returned from school at 5 p.m. daily. His elder sister, Kamla, would sit with him, going over his homework patiently before they both joined their younger siblings, Jaya, Meena, Som, and Bhawani, for a game outside. Ram was studying to be an engineer, the future breadwinner of the family.

His father, Narayan, worked in the Army, while Kamla served as a nurse. Her leave would soon end, and once she returned to her base, Ram would be left to manage the little battalion of siblings...