This is a poignant story of two people who find love and fulfilment in the most unusual manner. It’s the late eighties and Barun, a young engineer of the Railways, has been assigned to construct a bridge over River Gandak in a dacoit-infested forest. Kidnapping for ransom is an accepted way of life, and both police and the administration are helpless in reining in the dacoits. Barun comes up with an ingenious plan—use the dacoits to construct the bridge. This social experiment becomes a huge success and the lives of the outlaws change in ways they can’t imagine. In the project area, he meets Maya, a descendent of a princely state, who now lives in abject poverty. He tries to help Maya every way he can, but the project comes to an end and everyone moves on with their respective lives. Two decades have passed and Barun lives in the US now. He comes to Delhi to attend a seminar. There, he meets Maya’s daughter Sahiba, who is a student of Delhi University. Despite the huge age difference, they come close, very close. About the Author R.R. Jaruhar is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Railwayman (Rupa Publications, 2020). Born in 1947 in Bihar, Jaruhar joined the elite Indian Railway Service of Engineers in 1968 and received numerous awards during a distinguished career of thirty-nine years. After retirement, he has been advising organizations like the World Bank and has chaired many expert committees constituted by the Indian government. Jaruhar’s perspective on life and relationships shines through in his writings. He lives in Gurugram with his wife Anubha.