A predominantly Muslim village in pre-Independence Bengal. Fatik is a very bright young boy from a poor family. Through sheer intelligence and hard work, he raises himself out of his circumstances to make a name for himself: Shafiq UI Molla, barrister. In this, the second part of the trilogy, Hindu-Muslim relations are shown through Fatik's unique perspective, spanning the experience of his rural, communally segregated, lower class upbringing, as well as that of the relatively elite and superficially multi-cultural, professional class to which he rises. It's a full and nuanced reflection on the various ways in which ordinary middle class lower class Muslims engaged with ordinary middle class/lower class Hindus, from identity politics to competition for government jobs. A timeless portrait of the vintage Bengali Muslim life, drawn on an expansively imagined canvas. The story covers the years 1935-1937.