 Bengali speaking Sushila Sen, her husband and son, Manek, re-locate to London, England and begin their lives as immigrants. Tragically, Mr. Sen passes away, leaving Sushila to struggle with everyday living, and looking after a school-going Manek. She manages to get a job and they are able to survive on her wages. Manek attends school, shows an interest in piano-playing, excels at it to the extent that his school-teacher refers him to a piano teacher, Yuline Sousatzka, an immigrant from Russia, renowned for her teaching skills. Yuline takes over Manek s life - not only for teaching him to excel in piano playing - but also his life as a whole. Disagreements do arise, as Manek does not want anyone to run his life for him, nevertheless the training progresses. Then Sushila loses her job due to "not meeting the standards" (an excuse used to openly discriminate against visible minority employees) and is fired. With no money coming in, Manek is under pressure to use his piano skills to make some money, much to Yuline s chagrin. But Manek has his way and is ready to play - or embarrass himself totally in front of an elite crowd at the London Symphony Orchestra.