Summary of the Book
Karuna, a prominent Bombay socialite, is trying to flee the nightmare of the present by escaping into the past.
An unhappy divorce and a succession of sordid affairs have left her bruised and battered and, in an effort to forget, Karuna begins writing her memoirs. As the story of her life unfolds we see how the gauche middle-class girl metamorphoses into a star—and we also meet her friends and enemies: neurotic, man-hungry Anjali; gorgeous, vivacious Ritu; trampy, outrageous Si; Abe, who prefers young girls; Varun, a high-profile editor with a penchant for young boys; Krish, the pretentious adman, whose wife actively helps him in his extra-marital affairs; Girish, the art-film maker in search of the perfect 'Shakuntala'... All of these characters and more play out their lives against the backdrop of Bombay—a city unique unto itself...
