Mala Thomas, a 23-year-old Indian American, wants a big, multicultural city to escape her dead-end job and racial experiences in Indiana. She packs up her Acura Vigor and makes an impulsive move to Houston, Texas.

In Houston, she doesn't get questioned about being Indian. The South is very different from the Midwest and Mala can't take the word "y'all" seriously. On her career path, she lands a job in the energy industry and falls for work-obsessed Cyril, a Creole who works in her office building.

The death of the sister she can't remember, her love for '80s rock, and her past racial...