The Muddy River tells and re-tells the story of Ramesh Chandran, a bureaucrat caught up in the machinations of Assamese politics and public-sector corruption during his quest to rescue an engineer kidnapped by militants. As Chandran bumbles along, he encounters the engineer's wife, petite and fiery; a cynical police officer; a venerable Gandhian; and Anupama, another engineer torn between professional integrity and her love for Assam.