They grow up together among the secluded trees, hills and narrow roads of the small town, spending much of their time in an abandoned graveyard they discover near their homes.

But when Saurabh starts showing signs of trouble, their seemingly idyllic world begins to quickly unravel. As the incidents become more frequent and violent, he is brandished a pariah by the very people who had once held him aloft. Vidya, Shashi and Vinod's struggle to come to terms with Saurabh's impulses, becomes the uncomfortable thread that binds them together and leads them to re-evaluate their own lives and relationships.

Traversing through the realms of guilt and solitude, A Stick in the Dirt attempts to grapple with the uncomfortable nature of the unknown and with what it means to be misunderstood by those closest to us.

Vidit Uppal was born in Mumbai and currently lives in Gurgaon. An engineering consultant during the day, he writes short stories and poetry during his spare time, which can be read on his website: www.atruesentence.com. A Stick in the Dirt is his first novel.