Calcutta 1967. Without his family noticing, Supratik has dangerously gotten involved in extremist political activism. Driven by an idealistic desire to change his life and the world around him, the only thing he leaves behind before he disappears is a note.

The aging couple of his ancestors, the Ghos, rules the large household, unaware that beneath their almost unwrinkled surface of life, the ground is slipping away. Aside from the venomous hostilities between sisters-in-law, the disastrous secrets, and the difficulties of the family business, the family is disintegrating, following the tremors of the society around them.

For it is a time of turmoil, of inevitable and unstoppable changes: the gap between generations, as well as between the haves and the have-nots, is wider than ever. Ambitious, rich, and human, The Lives of Others dissects the soul of a nation, unfolding the story of a family.

A novel that tackles many things, such as the limits of empathy and the nature of political action, it poses the question: how do we envision our place among others in the world? Can we reimagine it? And what is the cost? A novel of relentless power and emotional intensity.