 A Fijian Indian American woman from Daly City, California, Chandra Chauhan takes charge of her life, literally, when a diagnosis of breast cancer allows her to choose between seeking medical treatment or dying. Chandra s limited existence between home and the local Hindu temple results from a husband who refused to let her receive an education or work outside the home. Deeply spiritual, she finds emotional sustenance in daily prayer and volunteer work at the temple. Chandra believes that cancer will take her from a life of loneliness. As the pain ratchets in intensity, she receives blinding clarity about the meaning of her life.