Herbert

The story opens with Herbert Sarkar cursing a group of people who have just left his house. He is a self-proclaimed mystic who speaks with the dead, and this talent defines his troubled life. Later that day, after a heavy drinking spree with friends, he slits his wrists and dies.

The next day, Herbert's death becomes the focus of a police investigation as a suspected posthumous bombing. The story is told non-linearly, with flashbacks revealing his eccentric life and the clues surrounding his death. The investigators struggle to connect his work with the blast.

Herbert is the son of a wealthy Bengali film director. His father dies during a shooting with his mistress, Miss Lily, an event that casts a shadow over his childhood.

Shortly after his father's death, his mother dies due to accidental electrocution, leaving Herbert to inherit a life of jokes at his expense. With the family property controlled by his uncle's clan, Herbert becomes the butt of every joke.

Herbert works as the errand boy for his uncle's family, facing ridicule from relatives and neighbors for his eccentric behavior. His cousin Dhanna even uses him to cheat on exams, highlighting his exploited position.

Krishna, Herbert's elder cousin, introduces him to Lenin, Mao, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, and the world of revolutionary ideas. He exposes Herbert to revolutionary screenings and hands him a copy of Ten Days That Shook the World.

Krishna leaves to take a college professorship, taking his family with him. Before leaving, he tells Herbert that his books remain in one room for him to read and becomes a mentor in absentia.

A few days later a new family moves in and Herbert befriends Banalata, known as Buki, and they develop feelings for each other. When Buki's father transfers, she moves away, breaking the budding romance.

During this period, he discovers a trunk of occult books and a human skull in the house belonging to an ancestor. This discovery sparks his growing interest in occult subjects and the supernatural.

Years later, Binu returns to Kolkata with his father to enroll at Presidency College during the 70s and becomes involved in the Naxalite movement. He spends much of his time hiding from the police as the movement is cracked down on.

On a last visit to Herbert with a friend, Binu is urged to stay the night but leaves because of an urgent engagement. He is shot by a police informer later that night.

On his deathbed, Binu tells Herbert where his diary is hidden behind a Kali statue in the prayer room. A dream sequence convinces Herbert that Binu revealed the diary to him, enabling him to claim the ability to communicate with the dead.

Herbert becomes a local sensation, launching a business called 'Dialogues with the Dead' and earning money and respect for three years. The public is fascinated by his alleged paranormal connection and the mystique he cultivates.

The International Rationalist Society declares him a fraud and threatens legal action unless he closes shop. They visit him, challenging his supposed contact with the dead and threatening to expose him.

It is revealed that Binu hid hand grenades inside Herbert's sleeping mattress during his last visit. When Herbert died, the accomplice's plan backfires as the mattress is cremated with him, the grenades exploding and killing many people. This turn of events makes Herbert a posthumous bomber.