"Under the shifting shadows of the palms, a boy and a girl become friends ... then fate deals them a savage blow ...

Gnalam, the foreman's gifted and determined daughter, is expected to enhance her family's status through a good marriage. Happy-go-lucky Saravanan can't wait to join his parents as a plantation worker. But with shocking suddenness the estate workers and their families are evicted from the estate and forced into squatter camps.

The frustrations of Gnalam's embittered father drive her to pursue her studies and win a place at university. However, her old friend Saravanan, barely educated, drifts into a life of crime and violence.
Both remain worlds apart ... until, years later, Saravanan joins Gnalam's campaign to better the lives of plantation workers. Will his past destroy her aspirations—or will their bond, formed beneath the palm fronds, triumph?

Paul Callan is the author of ""The Dulang Washer"" which has been long-listed for the 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award."

true