Nepal, Jan. 4 -- The grey Swedish twilight filtered through the triple-paned windows of their Solna apartment, casting a sterile blue light over the IKEA furniture Sarita had lugged up three flights of stairs herself. Outside, the Stockholm winter tightened its grip. Inside, a quieter frost had settled between them.

Bishal was in the kitchen, and there was the perfume of overcooked lentils clinging to his sweater. He looked at Sarita. She was at the dining table, watching a corner of the wall where a framed photo of their wedding in Bhaktapur hung. Three weeks earlier, she had removed it, saying their smiling faces were "too loud".

"Sarita, the food is cold," Bishal said. Sarita didn't think twice. She traced the grain of wood. "I don't...