Flora Crewe

Flora Crewe, an English poet, ventures to India alone in April 1930, ostensibly for her health, to live and write. While in India, she meets Nirad Das, an amateur artist who paints her portrait as she writes. Through Das, Flora becomes aware of the Indian struggle for independence from British rule. Their interactions turn sensual when one day, overwhelmed by the heat, she lies naked in her bed while conversing with him. Flora is also pursued by David Durance, a British official. She passes away and is buried in India in June 1930. Over fifty years later, in the mid-1980s, scholar Eldon Pike, who has edited The Collected Letters of Flora Crewe, is gathering material for a biography he intends to write about her. Pike seeks to uncover whether Flora had a “relationship” with Das and if a nude painting of Flora by Das actually exists. After Das’s death, his son Anish Das discovers the nude watercolor miniature in his father's belongings.

Eldon Pike

Eldon Pike, a scholar specializing in Flora Crewe, has edited the Collected Letters of Flora Crewe and, in the mid-1980s, is conducting research for a biography of Flora. As part of his investigation, Pike first visits Eleanor Swan, Flora’s younger sister, and then travels to the hotel in India where Flora stayed. Though well-intentioned, Pike is deeply engrossed in his academic view of Flora; he frequently cites details about her life and is determined to uncover the truth about her. Pike has a particular interest in locating various paintings of Flora by different artists, both renowned and obscure. He is especially keen on discovering whether Flora had a “relationship” with Das and whether she posed nude for the amateur Indian painter.

Eleanor Swan

Eleanor Swan, Flora’s younger sister, is visited by Pike in the mid-1980s as he gathers information for Flora’s biography. Anish Das, the son of Nirad Das, also visits her to learn more about his father’s painting of Flora. Eleanor, known as Nell in her youth, frequently offers tea and cakes to her visitors. She is doubtful about the significance of Pike’s research on her sister but is more welcoming towards Anish. After Flora’s death, Eleanor traveled to India to visit her sister’s grave, where she met Eric, whom she later married. Eric is deceased during the “present” time of the narrative.

Nirad Das

Nirad Das, an Indian man, first encounters Flora following her lecture to the Theosophical Society in India in 1930. As an amateur painter, he requests permission to paint Flora's portrait while she composes her poetry. Throughout these painting sessions, Das and Flora engage in conversations about the British Empire's colonization of India. Initially, Das is excessively polite and deferential towards Flora, but she urges him to be his authentic "Indian" self and speak more freely with her. During one particularly hot session, Flora, overwhelmed by the heat, lies naked under a sheet in her bed, leaving Das feeling uneasy in her bedroom. Over fifty years later, it is revealed that Das had indeed painted a watercolor miniature nude portrait of Flora, in addition to the portrait featured on the cover of the published Collected Letters of Flora Crewe. In 1930, Das was detained for throwing a mango during a riot protesting British rule in India. After his passing, Anish Das, Nirad's son, discovers the nude portrait among his father's possessions.

Anish Das

Anish Das is the son of Nirad Das. In the mid-1980s, Anish visits the home of Mrs. Swan, Flora's sister, in England to learn more about his father's portrait of Flora. Recognizing the style on the...