After their parents leave them, at the age of three, Etta and Dayal, always intimate, grow even closer, At 16, the almost incestuous nature of their relationship, troubles Dayal and he leaves his home, his sister and his two gay uncles, and sets off - he knows not where - just determined to find answers about his past and what the future might hold for him.

He travels to Delhi where he meets a couple of young gay boys who have found their way and learns about the harshness of life for those without his privileges.

From there he goes to Mumbai, on the start of a spiritual quest, with a list of places south of there where he feels he might find answers...and there he meets Selim, who is not privileged, whose mother is a prostitute and sister a schoolgirl, trying to make his way in the world and life better for his family.

This is the story of their troubled relationship, through many partings and reunions, trying to make sense of the country which is their home and each other.