Vikram Lall is an adult living in exile in Canada and the novel plots him contemplating over his life as a teenager of Indian origin living in Kenya in the 1950s. Vikram's paternal grandfather was brought to Africa from Northwest India as a labourer on the railways, while his father Ashok was born in Africa and became a member of the Asian Home Guard troops that worked for the British.
The narrative centers on Vikram Lall's self-reflection as an adult in exile, rooted in his experiences as a teenager of Indian origin residing in Kenya during the 1950s. The story delves into his ancestry through his paternal grandfather's migration to Africa and his father's affiliation with the Asian Home Guard.