Two Indian mystics journey in search of a missing son to find that the River Ganges is dying. Friendship, bonding, memory and loss evoke in this real-life film the current state of the earth's most precious resource: water.
Kannai, a blind and ailing mystical poet of the Baul musical tradition, is aware he has only one journey remaining in him. He has decided to use it finding his estranged son, Monkumar. Kannai is accompanied on his quest by lifelong friend and fellow musician Deb Das. Their journey needs no map. The two companions follow the mighty River Ganges from its mouth in the Bay of Bengal up to its sources in the holy Himalayas and back to their home village of Bolepur In West-Bengal. A hidden India unfolds as the friends progress on their path. A string of comic, colorful, and musical encounters with fellow mystics follow during rickety train rides, sojourns on houseboats, religious festivals, and meanderings across India's breathtaking and unforgiving landscapes. Throughout the journey, Deb Das acts as the eyes of his blind friend, describing in vivid detail each new experience they face. What Deb Das's words try to hide to his friend, however, is his growing disillusionment as he begins to witness the extent to which the lifeblood of India, the Ganges, is unwell.—Andrei Jewell & Nicolas Yazgi