Anita Desai's novel, A Village by the Sea, is a vibrant narrative of perseverance and hope amidst anguish. It's a saga of change and adaptation, a little bit of evil, and more about the goodness of nature and human kindness. Based on true events, it is a story set in a small coastal village of Thul near Bombay. The two main characters in the novel are a brother and sister pair, 13-year-old Lila and 12-year-old Hari. They have two young, school-going sisters, Bela and Kamal, a chronically ill mother and a good-for-nothing drunkard father. The father had long ago sold his rice fields, fishing boat and even livestock to pay off his debts. Ultimately the burden of caring for the family falls on the small shoulders of Hari and Bela, who shoulder it with a sense of duty. Lila takes care of the household chores and takes care of her sisters and sick mother, while Hari earns some money by doing odd jobs or selling the vegetables he grows in his garden. Near their hut there is a country house, Mon Repos, owned by a wealthy De Silvas family from Bombay. From time to time, the De Silvas come to Mon Repos for holidays and Hari and Lila work for them as part-time maids to earn some extra money. Mr. De Silva is a kind man and is impressed by Hari's hard work. He gives Hari his city address as an invitation to work for him in Bombay.