Nishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is journeying down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the fantasy, or the memory, of a beautiful Parisian woman called Jaya, he plans to write a book around his voyage. On the banks of the Ganges, he chances upon Zehra, an irresistible poetess-dancing girl in the tradition of the great courtesans who performs in a nearby brothel.