The writer introduces an army man who has returned from war to his home where he finds his own family members who have been waiting for his return. The soldier was on the Eastern Front fighting against the enemy. He fought in Dinajpur. This soldier was commissioned in the last year and came to know how many people died there in the same place.
When he returned his family members with his fiancée were at the station to receive him. His beloved wore an emerald green sari and looked very pretty. She asked him if the war had been bad. She told him that she had been dying of his return.
Then they talked of the blackouts and the air raids and things they had seen on the T.V. Then they reached at their home about twenty minutes drive. Meanwhile he lost in his memory, the memory of his visiting to a relief station where the hungry people were awaiting for food with their bowls and whatever was given quickly eaten and again waiting for their turn.
His mother was very keen on his marriage. He was no less anxious than his mother, but before war. But, during the war he came across thousands of dead bodies, he killed many enemies and piled up many dead bodies. These scenes of the battlefield changed his view of life and he did discovery the meaning of marriage. He had been wondering what life was all about. Such type of thought led him to be confused. He wanted to tell someone about his thoughts. He had no brothers. His father was a businessman who did not give much time for his son. He had a sister whom he knew very well and she had been completely changed by the time he came home. She took him to a party where he found most of the people whom he had known earlier. But most of them had changed. The boys had long hair and side burns and some had breads. A couple of girls were without bras. The others wore pantsuits and chains and goggles. All were smoking. He was also smoking but was asked to give up. He started drinking but afterwards had left it. Among the young group, he found a poet who was carelessly narrating different thing. They talked about the war and he listened. They talked of the things they had read I newspapers and magazines. They were incorrectly reporting the various facts. After the dinner, everyone was a little greggy. The poet sat reciting a song on the Golden Bengal bleeding under a violet sky.
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Every one became very serious. The poet himself had been very serious. His mood changed. The poet asked the soldier if he liked the poem. The soldier also remembered various incidents that he had come across.
He remembered the silhouettes of the six boys in the boat. They had been detailed to demolish a bridge. When he pushed them off the bark, he knew they would not come back. He knew they would be killed before or after the bridge was blown.
One day the soldier came to know that he was going to be awarded the Vir Charkra for his bravery. He had often thought of that night the night made him brave in bayonet fight. And he was responsible for death of a Subedar and later he had visited the Subedar’s family where he met Subedar’s mother and his widow. His widow was a little younger than soldier’s beloved. The Subedar had two children- two years and nine months. The Subedar was also awarded. But the soldier thought how could a widow of only 20 years old, and how she could not remarry.
While the soldier was on leave, he was quite disturbed by these events that crept into his memory. Most of the nights, he did not have good sleep. At times he wished he had a bagful of grenades. Sometimes many strange shapes danced before his eyes. Sometimes he thought of leaving the Army. He was totally lost in his sense balance. He found his family members busy with making him tanged in marriage. But he could not find the way out for the escape.