Voices in the City is based on the life of the middle class intellectuals of Calcutta. It is an unforgettable story of a Bohemian brother and his two sisters caught in the crosscurrents of changing social values. In many ways the story reflects a vivid picture of India's social transition - a phase in which the older elements are not altogether dead, and the emergent ones not fully evolved. The novel describes the bitter effects of the urban living upon an Indian family. Brought up in luxury and magnificence by an over indulgent mother, Nirode settles down in Calcutta and becomes engrossed in its bohemian life, while his elder sister, Monisha lives out a servile existence within the rigid and stiff confines of a traditional Hindu family. Amla sees the city as a monster, Nirode sacrifices everything for his career, and Monisha cannot bear her stifling existence in the household of a wealthy old Calcutta family.