A young woman named Subhashini, nicknamed Subha, who is mute. It details her isolation and the sorrow of her parents due to her inability to speak, highlighting how society often equates silence with a lack of feeling. Despite her isolation from most people, Subha finds solace in nature and companionship with animals, who understand her unspoken language of affection. The narrative progresses to depict her parents' anxieties about her future, particularly regarding marriage, and their eventual decision to take her to Calcutta for this purpose. Ultimately, the excerpt culminates in Subha's unhappy marriage and her profound sense of displacement and longing for the familiar understanding she once knew.