Set in Shimla, The Red Tin Roof evokes with rare delicacy and precision the interplay of seasons, nature and people, while it broodingly tells the story of a young girl growing into adolescence, in the company mostly of older women but also of a younger brother who trails her. In this exploration of an inner world, Nirmal Verma does not so much as tell a story as reminisce. Memory is the seed of his story.