A young girl comes to live in the slums of New Delhi. It is a place of danger where street gangs rule. Through the initiative of a blind beggar, she is taken to work in the home of a rich businessman. There, she observes a world of education and privilege--a world that is out of her reach. But danger still stalks. A kidnap attempt forces her to flee to her childhood home in the tropical backwaters of Kerala--a land of wooden boats, fishing and elephants. Violence, intrigue and love flourish. Whether she survives will depend on her being able to understand the significance of the pendant given to her by the blind beggar--the peacock stone.