In the East Indian state of Bihar, an area poor in finances but rich in vibrant culture, the long-awaited spring season has finally arrived. But as her family gathers on the veranda to celebrate the first tempest of the year, young Shashi Verma hides away in a bedroom closet, startled by the violent rumbling of thunder.

And for eight-year old Shashi, this isn't the only time she will find herself frightened into silence. Upon experiencing a devastating trauma at the hands of an older relative, her mother's reaction transforms the event into a secret shame-and as the cycle of the seasons...