Set in the nineteenth century, "The Counting House" narrates the experiences of an Indian couple, Rohinia and Vidia, growing up and getting married in a small Indian village before setting off for a new life in colonial Guyana, seduced by tales of the promised land and the riches they will find there. However, instead of fertile fields and instant wealth they find they have been sold into slavery. Having abandoned their families, their culture, and a country that seems increasingly like a paradise, Rohini and Vidia learn how to live with themselves, whose hopes end in tragedy. The story illuminates historical tensions between indentured Indian workers and Guyanese of African descent.