In the 1970's, India is reeling under Emergency and in Rourkela, a Nehruvian dream town in Orissa, a small boy is struggling to deal with his dysfunctional family. The arrival of a surrogate mother for Appu causes his mother's madness to take a furious turn. Years later, Appu's father dies on a summer evening in Bangalore. In the course of that night, Appu pores over letters, diaries and family albums to slowly come to terms with his mother's illness and its effect on those living under its shadow. Sepia Leaves parallels the nation-state and the fall of its biggest creation: a nuclear family.