India, 1966: Indira and Maria, her impoverished companion, sit on the verandah, reminiscing as Maria rocks baby Rohini in her arms. Together, they whisper stories of their past to the child. India, the present: Rohini battles periods of depression, life pulled between the demands of being a teacher, a mother, wife, and an active member of the Bengali community in Mumbai. But a shocking truth awaits Rohini in Kolkata, where her mother now lives, a truth that will upend her middle-class life. Alternating between Rohini in the present and Maria in the 1960s, Under the Pipal Tree is a humane account of internal conflict, loss of identity, and mental illness. In a tale of secrets and social prejudices, three women struggle to redefine their boundaries with each other and the world.