Olivia, a young Scotswoman, takes a trip to India to visit her brother, who is a civil servant. Through her letters, we follow Olivia's ocean voyage to India, her stay in Calcutta, and her visits to outlying posts. The letters are gaily written and offer amusing anecdotes about the journey, the people she meets, and impressions of India on a girl who has barely left Scotland before.

Anna Buchan (1877-1948) was a Scottish novelist who wrote under the pen name O. Douglas. She was the younger sister of John Buchan, the renowned statesman and author. Most of her novels were written and set between the wars and portrayed small town or village life in southern Scotland, reflecting her own life.