The history of four generations in single joint family belonging to the Srivaishnava sect living in a fictional village called Srirajapuram in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Set in the mid-twentieth century, this is at once a novel in the social-realistic mode, a family saga and a cultural history of the times as seen in the transformations undergone by a section of Tamil Brahmin society. It offers insights into the outer and inner lives of the characters, the drama of human life as it unfolds through personal, familial and community action and interaction. The novel records several changes brought about by modernization and urbanization resulting in geographical as well as demographic transformation: the coming of electricity and cinema, industrialization, the exodus of Brahmins from the villages. It is through the consciousness of the heroine, Ranganayaki, that we see the slow but significant changes that sweep through this orthodox community, of which the Srirajapuram family is a microcosm. It is through her mediation and counsel and support that the next generations learn to accept and adapt themselves to healthy changes. The backyard (with a well at the centre) is sufficiently large for people to meet and chat.