A tale of the cruelties that took place during the 1947 partition of India, "Black Taj" is a tragic story about young love s struggle to cross the Indian caste divide. An only child, Simi grows up comfortably in the city of Atmapuri enjoying certainty in her future ahead. Then, unexpectedly, everything changes. Her city, overtaken by the riots that have periodically gripped India since Britain s abrupt withdrawal, is threatening to fall apart along the lines of religion, caste, and community. Shortly before turning twenty-five, Simi meets a wonderful young man. Although he was also raised in Atmapuri, his caste means that he is in many ways from a different world. Without warning, Simi faces difficult new choices but when the past is always present, it can be hard to break free. Against a backdrop of monsoons and heat waves, shanty towns and expensive bungalows, love and tradition, and religious conflict and social upheaval, Simi s life will change forever."