Tala (Lisa Ray) is a well-to-do Jordanian of Palestinian origin who lives in London. She has had four fiancés and has ditched each of them at the last minute. It is a source of dismay for her rich parents, especially her selfish and critical mother who treats her housekeeper with such disdain that the woman constantly secretly spits in her tea. Tala is immediately attracted to Leyla (Sheetal Sheth), an Indian Muslim who is dating her best friend Ali (Rez Kempton). During several encounters, Tala's confident and dominant nature draws out the passion and individuality of this shy woman writer. But after making love with Leyla, Tala flees London to make preparations for her upcoming wedding in Jordan. Leyla, who feels transformed by the expression of her true nature, breaks with Ali and tells her parents that she is lesbian. Whereas her mother consigns her to Hell, her father stands by her choice and commends her honesty.
Shamim Sarif is the director of I Can't Think Straight which follows closely upon the release of The World Unseen, a lesbian love story also starring Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth. This drama doesn't have that film's natural flow; nor are its characters as interesting. Nonetheless, it charts the extreme difficulties faced by these two women as they come to terms with the chauvinist and cultural barriers against their acting upon their sexual orientation. Ali and Leyla's sister bring the women together again so they can work out their differences and start a new journey together. Ironically, it is the shy Muslim who musters the courage to show the feisty Jordanian the way back into each other's arms.
