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This Indian drama offers a subtle examination of urban values and of the struggles of peasants to survive. The story is centered around a wealthy Calcutta physician, Dr. Nihar Sengupta who deals exclusively with wealthy patients. He has lost touch with his former values and ignores his wife's fears that their daughter has become a druggie. His life changes when he sets off on a seven hour drive to present an academic paper at a Rotary Club meeting. His car gets a flat tire on the outskirts of a rural village. As his chauffeur changes the tire, Dr. Sengupta hears someone groaning in the nearby weeds. He finds a sick man on the cusp of death. He has been there for two days and seems to have pneumonia. With little compassion, Sengupta takes him to the village and leaves him at the mercy of the village witch doctor who will later attempt to "exorcise" the sickness from the man's body. After a while, Sengupta starts thinking about his callousness. He becomes guilt-ridden and goes back to save the patient from the witch doctor's ministrations. The next morning Sengupta returns again, but this time he is too late.