In Forster's beautifully written novel about British India at the turn of the century, a simple misunderstanding erupts into hostility. The plot centers on Aziz, a young doctor who is initially tolerant of the British presence in India. However, when he takes a group of Americans to the Caves of Marabar and an American woman accuses him of raping her, his attitude changes. Imprisoned and then released when the woman recants, Aziz becomes thoroughly disillusioned and a proponent of a Hindi-Muslim alliance against the British.