Set against the backdrop of the partition of Bengal in 1905, Home and the World (Ghare Baire) is the story of a young liberal-minded zamindar, Nikhilesh, his educated and sensitive wife, Bimala, and Nikhilesh's friend Sandip, a charismatic nationalist leader to whom Bimala finds herself attracted. A perceptive exposition of the difficulties surrounding women's emancipation in premodern India, and a telling portrayal of the chasms inherent in the nationalist movement, Home and the World has generated endless debate and discussion.