It is the last year of the nineteenth century in the village of Chevathar in Southern India. Solomon Dorai, the headman, is desperately trying to hold together the fraying ends of village life at a time of huge social and political unease. When violence finally erupts, it takes Solomon and the traditional structure of the village with it.

Three generations of Dorais come and go in the village by the sea, winning and losing the battle for Chevathar. There are Solomons sons: the dazzling, athletic Aaron and the studious Daniel, both exiled by their fathers death but, in different ways, both determined to make their mark on the world. And there is Daniels son, Kannan, faced with a set of challenges that could break him if he isnt strong enough.