Two sisters—Nikki and Mindi—discuss the topic of marriage. Nikki, the modern and rebellious sister, has quit law school to find herself; she currently works in a pub. Mindi is in nursing school and seeking a “suitable boy” for a husband. As part of this effort, Mindi asks Nikki to post her matrimonial ad on the bulletin board at the large Sikh temple in Southall, a community of largely Punjabi immigrants from India. Nikki reluctantly agrees and takes the train to Southall, where she enters a bilingual world completely unknown to her best British friend, Olive. At the bulletin board, Nikki briefly encounters a “wispy” man who shyly asks if she’s seeking a husband; repulsed by the other men’s flyers, Nikki dismisses him. Before leaving, though, she spots an ad for a writing instructor at the temple.

The narrative shifts to the backstory of Kulwinder Kaur, the recently appointed Community Development Director of the Sikh Community Association. It opens with a flashback to Kulwinder’s “first and last attempt to be British” (21), which occurred 20 years ago when she dropped Maya, her daughter, off for the little girl’s first day at her new school.