The disappearance of Jugnu and Chanda, lovers who broke Islamic law to live in sin, throws the small community into upheaval. Rumors about their disappearance abound, but five months go by before anything certain is known. Finally, the police arrest Chanda's brothers, whom they believe murdered the couple to avenge their family's shame. As the novel unfolds over the next twelve months, we watch Jugnu's sister-in-law struggle to maintain her Islamic piety, as the effects of the double murder prove increasingly corrosive to the life of her family. At the heart of the turmoil is sexual freedom, and Aslam illustrates the many ways women's lives are restricted and romantic love is denied in the name of religion.