This novel follows the story of Tapan Ali, a young man from Bangladesh who leaves his home to study in England. When his family can no longer afford to support his education, Ali chooses a dangerous life on the run as an illegal immigrant rather than return home. Ali finds himself in a far different world than his previous student life of pot-smoking, politics, and philosophy, when he becomes a resident of the Bangladeshi settlement in East London. There, he must contend with racist violence, poverty, and the threat of betrayal. The character of Ali's lover, Nilufar Mia, adds a sharp, womanist insight with her story of breaking ties with her strict Muslim family to live out an alternative destiny.