The story revolves around Tembu, a twelve-year old boy who

lives with his father Baldeo, mother and young sister in a

tribal village on the outskirts of the forest in India. They rely
on the produce from a small rice field for subsistence. To
supplement their income, Baldeo worked as a watchman at
the nearby way station at the railroad.
Every night he would stay in a bare hut near a tunnel cut into
the rock. His duty was to keep the signal lamp burning and
make sure that the tunnel is clear of obstruction so that the
overland mail could pass through safely. When Tembu did
not have to help his mother and little sister home, he used to
accompany his father to the railroad. On this particular night
Tembu wakes up to see his father preparing to leave to check
the signal lamp and the tunnel. Tembu asks if he could go
with him but Baldeo denies because it was cold.
As Baldeo goes alone he thinks about the wild animals,
especially the famous man-eating tiger of which he had herd
some stories. Despite of all the dangers in the forest, he
walks with confidence with a small axe (the axe might look
small but can severely hurt someone). When he reaches
there he found that the signal lamp was out, he put lit the
lamp again and then checked the tunnel and waited for the
train as it was late. In the moments before the train's arrival,
a tiger suddenly springs into the area before the tunnel and
heads straight towards Baldeo.