Circle of silence - preeti Singh

A birth mark on the right shoulder!

And one as big and as dark as that! Arre baap re! This is of some terrible significance ...

Despite his grandmother's gloomy prophecy, Rattan grows up leading a charmed life - first in Delhi, surrounded by his affluent, adoring family; then at Boston University, where he acquires a cosmopolitan sophistication.

When he returns to Delhi, and the family business, Rattan is happy to fall in with his parents' plans for an arranged marriage: his young bride is somewhat dazzled by the splendour of her new home, but her new husband is handsome and the prospects look good.

Then tragedy strikes. Needing to put the past behind him, Rattan takes a job in Cairo.

Nalini is the daughter of the Indian Ambassador to Egypt.

Since the death of her mother, she has accepted the diplomatic duties that her father's post carries with it, but is chafing under the lack of freedom and sorely missing her friends. Perhaps that is why she warms to Rattan: he, too, must be homesick, a stranger in a strange land.

As their friendship develops, Rattan and Nalini progress cautiously towards love. But Rattan's past lies in a circle of silence and when that silence is broken, Nalini must decide where her heart lies.