This novel shows the lives of the underdogs - the Lachhimas, the Rukmanis, the Mohors and the Haroas - as a contrast to the lives of their all-powerful overlords - the Medinis and Ganeshes. Mahasweta Devi's corrosive humour and cryptic style are at their best as she takes on issues of agrarian land relations, inter-caste violence, so-called rural development and the position of women in rural India. This novel is considered one of Devi's most important works.