Deepa and Sanjay are a young couple with sharply different aspirations--while Deepa is seriously pursuing her Ph. D. Sanjay is relatively unambitious, content with his circumstances and his circle of friends. Deepa is required to go to Bombay for a job interview, where she meets new people with different lifestyles to which she is drawn. When she eventually returns to Delhi, familiar rajnigandha (tuberoses) are awaiting her--a gift that Sanjay always bestows, and she is comforted.