Parvez (Om Puri) is a taxi driver from Pakistan who has lived in London for 25 years. While he has adapted many English customs, his wife (Gopi Desai) and son Farid (Akbar Kurtha) remain more attached to the old ways. Parvez is shocked when the boy turns to Islamic fundamentalism and invites a conservative spiritual teacher and his entourage to stay in their home. They begin a crusade to clean up neighborhoods infested with prostitution and drugs.
Written and directed by Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette), the drama vividly conveys how certain brands of religion drive families apart instead of bonding them together. Alienated from his wife and son, Parvez finds a willing listener and lover in Bettina (Rachel Griffiths), a prostitute who serves as an escort for Schitz (Stellan Skarsgard), a German entrepreneur. While his son listens to Muslim chants, Parvez nurtures his soul with jazz recordings in the cellar of his home. In the end, this hardworking and loving father must prioritize his values in the face of the sudden disintegration of his family life and future.