Examines and provides real-life accounts of urban poor families living in Bombay, India.

Prologue: between roses -- Undercitizens -- Annawadi -- Asha -- Sunil -- Manju -- The business of burning -- Ghost house -- The hole she called a window -- The come-apart -- The master -- A little wildness -- Marquee effect -- Parrots, caught and sold -- Proper sleep -- Up and out -- Nine nights of dance -- Something shining -- The trail -- Ice -- Black and white -- A school, a hospital, a cricket field.