When Joe Roberts and his wife decided to spend the winter in Calcutta, staying in a colonial relic of a hotel and exploring the city and chatting to the locals, they wanted to challenge the false impressions that Westerners have of the city. What they found was a civilized, charismatic place, rich in culture and history amid all the chaos. This is an informative history of the city mixed with the author's personal account which intends to recast Calcutta in a positive light.