Nectar in a Sieve

A drought plagues India; no one can harvest enough crops to pay their dues. Sivaji, the landowner’s agent, comes to Nathan and Rukmani to ask for their rent. He agrees to give Nathan and Rukmani more time to gather half of what they owe. They sell clothes and kitchen supplies but still gather less than half of the money they need. Nathan wants to sell seeds, but Rukmani convinces him to wait until they have no choice. When Sivaji returns, he again agrees to buy them time, informing them he is not harsh by choice but rather by necessity. The rains finally come, but they come too late to save the existing crops.

The land begins to recover. Nathan plants new crops while Rukmani portions her remaining rice stash for her family to eat for 24 more days. Kunthi visits and demands Rukmani give her a meal and rice to take home. When Rukmani says she cannot provide rice, Kunthi threatens to tell Nathan about Rukmani’s visits with Kenny and that she has been keeping secret from him.