A beautiful young man condemned to death for a crime of passion; his lover, the beautiful courtesan whom he kills but continues to mourn and yearn for; and a lonely young widow burnign with unrequited desire. This love triangle set in twelfth century bengal, moving between the royal city of Gaur and the forests and rivers of rural Bengal, centres on the fate of the romtha, the branded criminal who awaits his own death. Ironically named Sharan refugue theire is not refuge for the protagonist of this tale of passion, vengeance and the overwhelming hunger for life.