A sweeper, Bakha aspires to live a better life. Sohini, his sister, is a kind and elegant young woman. She is asked to sweep the temple courtyard of Pandith Kalinath's home. On behalf of his father, Bakha goes to the city to clean the streets, but he touches a Hindu caste member, which results in mistreatment, humiliation, and indignity. Three solutions to untouchability are proposed in the novel: eradication of untouchability, conversion to Christianity, and the implementation of a contemporary flush system. Based on the lives of the untouchables and Bakha, the main character, the book is set in the Punjabi cantonment town of Bulasha. Anand's father served in the Indian Army as a Regimental Head Clerk, and his art demonstrates his familiarity with military life. The story is set against the backdrop of Punjabi customs and traditions, concepts and beliefs, and scenes and sights. The exclamations, profanity, and abuses shown in the book reflect military life and Punjabi culture in general.