The narrative unfolds inside a single train compartment through three distinct phases:
A. The Encounter at Rohana
The blind narrator is alone in the compartment until a girl boards at Rohana. Her parents give her detailed instructions about where to keep her luggage and not to lean out of the windows. As the train pulls out, the narrator, whose eyes are sensitive only to light and dark, longs to know what the girl looks like. He listens closely to the sound of her voice and the slap of her slippers against her heels, determining to prevent her from discovering his blindness.
B. The October Hills & Gallant Deception
When the narrator speaks, the girl starts in surprise. He learns she is travelling to Saharanpur to meet her aunt. When she asks where he is going, he replies: “To Dehra, and then to Mussoorie.” The girl sighs wistfully, saying how lucky he is, as she loves the hills in October. Drawing on his memories from before he lost his sight, the narrator paints a lyrical picture of Mussoorie in October: wild dahlias covering the hillsides, the warm sun, sipping brandy beside a log fire at night, and quiet, deserted roads. He then takes a daring gamble by remarking: “You have an interesting face.” The girl laughs merrily, pleased by the flattering departure from the usual cliché of “a pretty face”.
C. The Departure and The Stunning Climax
As the train slows into Saharanpur, there is the shouting of porters and vendors. The girl bids goodbye; the tantalising perfume from her hair lingers in the air. A new male passenger enters, offering an apology for not being as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left. When the narrator asks whether the girl wore her hair long or short, the man replies with an offhand chuckle: “I didn’t notice her hair; it was her eyes I noticed. They were so beautiful, but they were of no use to her—she was completely blind! Didn’t you notice?” The narrator is left stunned in solitary reverie.