Usha Patel

Breaking with her own culture, a Norwegian-Pakistani girl escapes the force marriage her family has planned for her.

This is the story of the lovely Kate Swallow and the loves of her life. At the start she is with Alec Bolton, a noted author, who discourages her when she wants to write a novel. Later she is swept off her feet by Alecs publisher, Vanni Corso, and leaves Alec for Vanni. She writes another novel and Vanni tells her he doesn't think the book will sell. Both of their actions are an indication of their vanity and fear of losing her.

Barbara and Naseem are in the same hospital, having babies. They make friends. But the celebrations of their husbands, Kenny and Quereshi, 'Jimmy', lead to a headlong chase, with crazy mix-ups, collisions and brushes with the law

Farah is an independent young British woman who manages to reconcile her modern lifestyle with her Pakistani heritage. As a Muslim in love with a married man, she can become his second wife - especially as his first marriage to Maryam seems to exist in name only. But with all three under one roof, Farah becomes increasingly insecure.

Maria is a dancer who becomes pregnant, unexpectedly, and has to decide whether or not to keep the baby. When her live-in boyfriend, who is not the father, admits to cheating on her, she kicks him out. Still unable to decide what to do, she imagines a dialogue with the fetus.

A man discovers his love for his wife as he prepares to live without her

Two disparate families become intertwined when a Jewish man and a Muslim woman fall in love while attending college.