Staying On Summary
Paul Scott

Staying On Summary

Staying On takes place in early 1972 in Pankot, India. The story begins and ends with the death of one of the main characters, Tusker Smalley, from a heart attack. This occurs shortly after he receives a letter from his landlord, the owner of the adjacent hotel. In between the two descriptions of this event, the reader becomes acquainted with Tusker, his wife Lucy, and an assortment of people in their lives and memories.

Lucy and Tusker have been married for 40 years and have been in India for all of that time except for one short trip to England. Tusker was a Colonel in the British Army, forced into early retirement when India gained its independence from Great Britain and the British military departed for home. He chose to "stay on"; first to assist the Indian transition, later with a private firm, and finally in retirement. Lucy agreed at... View more of the Staying On Summary