Lakshadweep, a group of coral islands in the Arabian Sea off the Malabar Coast, is a centrally administered territory consisting of three distinct units -- Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi. Amini is the largest island of the Amindivi unit.

The islanders have three caste-like groups- the aristocratic Koya, the sea 'faring Malmi, and the praedial slaves Melacheri' consisting of the descendants of migrants from the mainland. This island society exhibits a unique blend of matrilineal principles and Islamic regulations. This can be seen in their institutions of Taravad, Karanavan, and duo-local marriage on the one hand, and in the observance of Islamic prescriptions in regard to the performance of duties by fathers and husbands on occasions like birth, circumcisions, marriage and divorce, and in the operation of the laws of property and inheritance on the other.

The historical and socio-economic processes through which their social structure evolved, the constraints under which it functions today, the struggle of the Melacheri to shake off the yoke of the Koya, the role of Islam, and the impact of government sponsored programmes form the subject matter of this fascinating study. A part from describing an unusual form of social organization, this book presents a significant microscopic picture of the processes of change in the island society.