The story depicts Bengal, stable under the British rule, even though the people were divided in their faith and undecided in their loyalties. Hinduism, with its age old practice of worshipping many gods and goddesses and its stringent codes of caste distinction, had been challenged by the founders of Brahmoism, a religion committed to monotheism and formless worship. As the story unfolds, it brings out the impact of both religions on the principal characters. Datta in Bengali, is derived from bagdatta-a girl promised to a man in marriage, which is implied at the beginning of the narrative and finds fulfilment in the end.
