Inspector Ghote is sent from Bombay to Banares to investigate the peculiar circumstances surrounding Mrs. Shoba Popatkar's murder - a beloved national figure, known throughout the sub-continent for her lifelong commitment to virtuous causes. He feels only too keenly the official pressure to come up with a simple solution. Can he manage to satisfy both his superiors and his own need to discover the whole truth? Certainly, there are frustrating obstacles blocking his path as he doggedly makes his way through the throngs of the city's narrow lanes seeking the killer, not the least of which are the uncooperative local police officials.