In 1935 Madras, the characters Owen and Jennifer Tuttleberry are introduced as Anglo-Indian friends of Honorine and Digby. Owen is a locomotive driver and Jennifer is a switchboard operator.
Digby needs a more affordable form of transport and Owen proposes selling him a second-hand motorcycle, Esmeralda, which is a hybrid of various components but mostly a Triumph.
Digby and Honorine visit the Tuttleberrys in the Perambur Railway Colony, a walled enclave of Anglo-Indians on the edge of the city with modest identical houses.
Owen guarantees that the motorcycle is reliable and offers to be Digby's mechanic for the vehicle. Digby chooses to buy the motorcycle after taking it for a test drive.
They all share a family dinner, during which Jennifer introduces her muscular brother, Jeb, a ticket collector and aspiring Olympian.
They consume a homemade meal and dig into a dish called “pish-pash", served by Jennifer.
Owen expresses his admiration and love for his wife Jennifer, expressing disbelief that she married him due to his darker complexion.
As they depart, Digby reflects on the contrasting social stratification between the Anglo-Indian enclave and the local society, which mirrors his own experience of both oppression in Glasgow and his role as an oppressor in India.