Mrs Ali's much loved home is suddenly under threat - a road widening scheme threatens to destroy both it and the family business, the Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Meanwhile, Mrs Ali's niece, Pari, a young Muslim widow, adopts a destitute Hindu boy, and this unorthodox arrangement offends both Muslim and Hindu in the sleepy eastern Indian town of Vizag. The Ali family are plunged into crisis, threated by police action, social boycott and excommunication.

There is one plan that might just keep Pari and her son together, and the home Mr and Mrs Ali have shared for many years intact, but it's a desperate gamble. Do they risk everything for a small chance of success? But can they afford not to?