Out of the rich culture of India, and the colonial era that gave rise to the tumultuous 1947 Partition, comes this lush and eloquent novel about two women married to the same man. Sixteen-year old Roop, a village girl whose mother has died, is elated when a wealthy Sikh landowner sends an oer of marriage. Though deep in debt, her father is reluctant—Oxford-returned Sardarji has a first wife, childless Satya. But Roop persuades him, believing she and Satya will be friends. Once married and in Rawalpindi, Roop finds friendship with Satya is elusive. Their relationship turns ominous. Satya resorts to desperate measures to maintain her place in society and her husband’s heart, and, as his beloved Punjab lurches toward Independence Day, Sardarji struggles to find his place amidst drastic religious divides.  

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