Summary

Deen is an East Indian immigrant living in Brooklyn, New York, where he works as a dealer in rare books and Asian antiquities. He travels home to Calcutta every year to take refuge from the harsh Midwestern winters.

In his late fifties, Deen has recently been “ghosted” by his long-term girlfriend, so he is returning to Calcutta feeling more alone than ever and hoping for romance. Instead, he is reacquainted with his distant cousin, whom he does not get along well with. Deen's cousin approaches him because of his experience with Bengali folklore. He implores Deen to visit his aunt, Nilima Bose, about a shrine that she had come across earlier in her life. He believes that the shrine may be connected to a well-known Bengali tale about a Gun Merchant.

Deen agrees to see Nilima, where he is regaled by a tale...