New Delhi, India-born, Amrita emigrates at age seven to England. Her father is an engineer. She recalls visits to grimy Bombay with her mother and sisters. After coming to the U.S, Amrita translates at the United Nations. She and narrator Robert C. "Bobby" Luczak marry in 1969, while he is a struggling young writer. In 1972, Amrita dips into her trust fund to buy a house for them near Exeter, NH, unable to endure life any longer in Boston, MA. On 22 Jan. 1977, at age 33, Amrita gives birth to a daughter, Victoria, and months later agrees to accompany Bobby on a business trip to Calcutta.