Nineteen-year-old Shama lives something of a charmed existence, indulged by her comfortably off parents, who are second-generation Pakistani immigrants, and enjoying university life. Balancing the lifestyle of her Western friends with the strict cultural traditions upheld by her parents is rarely a challenge, as she flits between her weekdays on campus and weekends at home. However, her world is turned upside down when she is invited to accompany her mother on a trip to Pakistan and introduced to the handsome Saleem, a charming, educated acquaintance of her extended family. Caught up in a whirlwind romance thousands of miles from home, Shama suddenly finds herself facing a very different future from the one she anticipated - a future that when contemplated, triggers a rollercoaster of emotions in the naive teenager, ranging from excitement to fear, and puts her very survival at risk.