 Dr. Nabin Datta is a prominent dentist in Calcutta, 47, disengaged, with little affect, and fearful that his hands and feet are turning to metal. His wife leaves him to live alone. His son, who is away at school, will not talk to him. He searches for meaning: he seeks the help of a jolly but dismissive physician; he talks to an underworld thug about having his wife murdered; he delves into the life of his driver, the happy-go-lucky Dinu, who has two wives and a mistress, all three of whom love Dinu, all three of whom Dinu cherishes; last, he returns in his mind to the magical possibilities of his childhood, when he could open doors using only a nursery rhyme.