Written in 1971, but not published till a decade later, The Crooked Neem Tree narrates the story of Seema, a young Punjabi girl growing up in East Pakistan in the early sixties. Despite her sheltered life, Seema gradually becomes aware of social injustices and personal betrayals, initially through the experiences of her friends, She falls in love with Tanvir, a young Bihari, but becomes engaged to Qamar, a Punjabi cousin, when Tanvir breaks off their relationship. Learning that Qamar was responsible for a friend's unhappiness, she ends the engagement and turns to Khalid, a Bengali student she meets at university. However, she has never stopped loving Tanvir, as becomes heartbreakingly clear to her and Khalid at the end.