Vasu Master, recently retired from his job in a local school, allows himself to revisit the past and imaginatively discover the nature of teaching, teacher and pupil. This process of self-discovery is speeded up by the arrival of Mani, who cannot-or will not-speak. Vasu Master tells the reticent child one fantastic story after the other as he faces up to the biggest challenge of his life: can he teach (or heal) Mani? Using fantasy, fable and a host of wonderfully imagined characters, Githa Hariharan creates a richly textured work that eloquently explores the human condition, and the underlying principles of all human action.