 She belongs to an upper-class family of propertied gentry whose fortunes are in decline due to changing times.What property they are left with is also in dispute, because Chandramukhi's father (or his father) had been cheated by a former employee and are fighting a court case.Having lost her mother at a young age, Chandramukhi had then been sent to live with her mother's parents, because her father had felt unable to take care of a small girl all by himself.