Nikki recently dropped out of college, which greatly disappointed her family. Shortly thereafter, her father died of a heart attack while visiting India. Upon returning, her mom guilt trips her when Nikki moves out on her own, living above the pub where she now works.

Nikki's sister Mindi has decided that she wants an arranged marriage so she asks Nikki to post a message on the bulletin board in Southall. While there, Nikki sees a job listing to teach a writing workshop for women. During the first session, it is clear that most of the women are unable to read or write and that they expect her to teach them English. She tries basic exercises to teach the elderly women the alphabet, but they dislike the elementary school lessons. One night, one of the students tells a sexy story and most of the women enjoy it. This ends up leading Nikki to the community's gossipy secrets, including a scandalous story about her new boss's daughter.

Word of the stories gets out which brings the unwanted attention of the Brothers, a conservative group of men who disapprove of lots of things (I was originally going to say that they disapproved of the stories but then I realized that was just one thing on a long list of things they disapprove of). Nikki and the widows have to keep their stories as secret as possible.