Chapter 1 Summary

The chapter starts by introducing the narrator and explaining that he is a retiree, and a widower. When he discovered a job at a guesthouse (a form of lodgings intended for travelers and pilgrims), he took the position because he wanted to escape from the world. His colleagues thought that such a position was beneath him since he had been a senior bureaucrat before he retired.

The author describes the beauty of the setting of this guesthouse; it is located near the Narmada River, which is a holy pilgrimage site, so there is a regular stream of pilgrims passing through. The main character appreciates this location because he is on a spiritual quest of his own.

The reader is introduced to the daily life of the narrator: his day starts early with him appreciating nature, and the river, and the spirituality of the...