Using a blend of magic realism and realist drama, Memsahib Rita looks at the physical and emotional violence of racism. Shanti is haunted by both the racist taunts of nationalist white youths and the memory of her white mother.
Vijay becomes the guardian of his sister's three orphaned kids. Later, the children give shelter to Vaijayanthi, a girl trying to escape an arranged marriage, without their uncle's knowledge.
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda.