[2][3] The novel focuses on the varied experiences of an Indian-Muslim family living in Northern California, striving to find a balance between tradition and modernity.

Rather than accepting an arranged marriage, Hadia decides to build her life with a man of her choice, Tariq, whom she met in medical school.

Hadia decides to invite their estranged brother, Amar, who returns after 3 years of no communication with his family.

He is confronted with the familiarity of the faces from his past life when greeting the guests, including his first love Amira Ali.

Their mother, Layla, is frantically running around, attending to guests, and making sure that her daughter’s event flows smoothly.

Part two of the book gives readers glimpses of the past that offer insight into how everything led up to the wedding.

Hadia and her sister Huda sit together cross-legged, eyes lighting up in awe from the fireworks.

The scene jumps to a young Layla in India, talking to her younger sister Sara about a potential proposal from a man named Rafiq in America.

As young kids, Hadia worries about Amar, who lies to protect her and Huda, further upsetting their father.

Both Hadia and Amar join Rafiq in the car to stop by the Ali house to grieve with the family.

Amar stops by Amira’s (Abbas's younger sister) room, both of them finding the slightest comfort in each other’s presence.

Amar gets into a fight at school when three boys corner him in the locker rooms and tell him to go back to his country.

Amar recalls a guy named Simon, who survived the car accident that Abbas was in.

Months before Hadia’s graduation, she takes her younger siblings to an ice cream shop.

Amar confides in his sisters; he tells them that he feels as if he no longer belongs at school due to being a Muslim.

He recalls the time him and Abbas discussed religious stories and how they would someday leave and create a life for themselves.

Amira’s parents force her to end things with Amar, due to his bad reputation.

He finds himself throwing out Amar’s old exams, only to take it back out of the trash and place it in his desk drawer.

Her wedding is one of the pivotal moments throughout the book, where the audience is given glimpses of her as an adult woman getting married, and shifting back to scenes throughout her childhood to see how she got there.

Readers are only given certain glimpses of Huda's life, causing her to be seen as a side character to the drama surrounding the rest of her family.