She is intelligent, she is beautiful, and her eyes are extraordinary, one jet black and the other an almost otherworldly emerald green. But she is a young Indian garbage collector. Her only wish is to study. But in her world, only men have a say and get the answers she would like to have. Women are worthless without men; oppression and violence against them are commonplace and considered normal. The author does an excellent job of taking us on the extraordinary journey of Mira, a young Indian woman who refuses to accept the path laid out for her.