For Raman the sign painter, life is a familiar and satisfying routine. A man of simple, rational ways, he lives with his pious aunt and prides himself on his creative work. But all that changes when he meets Daisy, a thrillingly independent young woman who wishes to bring birth control to the area. Hired to create signs for her clinics, Raman finds himself smitten by a love he cannot understand, much less avoidaand soon realizes that life isnat so routine anymore. Set in R. K. Narayanas fictional city of Malgudi, "The Painter of Signs" is a wry, bittersweet treasure.