In his last film, Ghatak confronts his own life directly, casting himself as Nilkantha, an alcoholic and frustrated intellectual; his son Ritaban plays his character's son. Against the backdrop of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, Nilkantha hits the road, setting out from Calcutta once his marriage disintegrates. As his traveling group grows in size en route, Nilkantha reflects on his happy past, worries over the state of India and muses on what the future holds.