In the wake of 9/11, Shadi, a child of Muslim immigrants, tries to navigate her crumbling world of death, heartbreak, and bigotry in silence, until finally everything changes. 2003: the US has officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down....

Yasmin's family is hosting a big party, but Yasmin is worried that the traditional food her family is cooking is too spicy--so her family challenges Yasmin to come up with a dish of her own.

When Yasmin's father explains to her about explorers and maps, Yasmin decides to make a map of her neighborhood and she brings it along on a trip to the farmers' market with her mother--but will the map help her when they are separated?

While her parents are out to dinner, a bored Yasmin decides to try on some of her mother's clothes, including her new shalwar kameez, which gets ripped--but with the help of Nana, Nani, and a glue-gun, the garment gets fixed, and Yasmin puts on an impromptu fashion show when her parents get home.

After carefully planning a visit with Aly and Emma, Yasmin is disappointed to see that they want to play on their own, but a creative compromise may make everyone happy.

When a new gym teacher introduces her gym class to soccer, Yasmin fears it will be as rough as the professional sport but must try to find courage to play goalie.

Yasmin struggles with Ms. Alex's assignment to write an essay about her hero until she realizes that her hero is someone very close to her.

Sadiq's father is going on a business trip, but before he goes he tells Sadiq a story of the Desert Star, which fits in perfectly with Sadiq's third grade class field trip to the planetarium, and inspires Sadiq to build a simple telescope to study the stars when his father returns.

Sadiq and his friends are starting a video game club at school and planning a tournament for the whole school to participate in, but their teacher reminds them that they also have to have a service pledge, and they are not really sure how video games fit in with the goal of helping others--until a visit to an assisted living home where his mother volunteers gives him an idea.

Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers' struggles to become United States citizens.