During the decade of the 1960s, a darkness had descended on West Bengal and Kolkata. In the midst of widespread political turmoil and anarchy, the ordinary, educated, middle class had become fearful and craven. Against this backdrop, the titular protagonist, at once a non-entity and an everyman, dares to confront life with a burning question: What is the point of it all? Just existing in order to carry the burden of a million disgraces for one more day? Mere survival at any cost? Is it worth the trouble? The answer doesn't come easily to him. A victim of many misfortunes, he stands at the edge of death and reckons with his little life, determined, if not to find some real value in it, then, at least, to make a true assessment of its insignificance.