Parineeta

We are introduced to Lalita, a poor thirteen-year-old orphan living with her uncle Gurucharan's family. The household is strained by poverty and the expenses of weddings for Gurucharan's daughters. Lalita's desire for security and belonging shapes her early world.

Gurucharan borrows money from their neighbour Nabin Roy by mortgaging a plot of land. The loan relieves immediate pressure but binds the family to Roy's terms. The two families maintain cordial relations even as Roy covets the mortgaged land.

Nabin Roy's wife Bhuvaneshwari dotes on Lalita and treats her like a daughter. Lalita reciprocates with warmth, even calling Bhuvaneshwari 'maa.' This bond complicates the social web around Lalita as alliances form.

Shekhar, Gurucharan's younger son and a recently successful attorney, forms a bantering but possessive relationship with Lalita. His attitude oscillates between mentorship and jealousy as his feelings deepen. Lalita trusts him and accepts his guidance.

Girin becomes a supportive presence in Lalita's life, aiding Gurucharan's finances and helping with arrangements. His involvement stirs jealousy in Shekhar, who resents the shifting influence on Lalita. Lalita welcomes Girin's help and friendship.

Before Shekhar's tour to the west, Lalita and Shekhar secretly marry in a garland exchange. Their act defies the norms surrounding age, wealth, and propriety. The couple begins married life under secrecy.

After the marriage, Lalita must conceal herself as a spinster due to social and legal pressures. Gurucharan renounces traditional norms and embraces Brahmoism, inspired by Girin's words. The family becomes socially ostracized as a consequence.

Society rejects the couple, and Shekhar's own behavior becomes harsher, shaped by covetousness over Girin's influence. Lalita endures emotional turmoil as she and the family navigate ostracism. Shekhar's actions reflect the strain between love, wealth, and social expectations.

Lalita accompanies her family on a journey to Munger to seek healing after the turmoil. During this period, Gurucharan dies, and Girin holds to his dying wish that Lalita marry him, promising to take care of her future. Girin accepts the arrangement, even as events later unfold differently.

Years pass after Gurucharan's and Nabin Roy's deaths; Lalita is now eighteen and revisits her old place to sell Gurucharan's house to Nabin Roy's heirs. Shekhar's forthcoming marriage to someone is arranged, but Lalita's presence raises questions about his real desires. Girin becomes Gurucharan's son-in-law via the promised arrangement, but he marries Annakali, Lalita's cousin, instead.

Girin visits Shekhar with legal documents for Gurucharan's plot and reveals that he did become Gurucharan's son-in-law as promised but did not marry Lalita; he married Annakali instead. Shocked yet pleased by this turn, Shekhar regains his composure and confesses his own marriage to Lalita to his mother. He renews his love for Lalita and seeks her family's blessing.

With the truth laid bare, the family grants consent for the union of Shekhar and Lalita. The story ends on a note of reconciliation and hopeful marriage, as love triumphs over social barriers. The couple looks forward to a life together supported by those who remained loyal.