Krishna Gopal Reddy is born in an East Indian family in the U.S., and like most U.S. teens grows up hating his culture, the spicy Indian food, religious prayers, Bollywood movies, his parents, and his birth name, as he prefers to call himself Kris. He is overjoyed about finally moving out of his home into a hostel to start his college. Once in the hostel, he is openly disgusted with his room-mates, consisting of a Muslim, A Sikh, and a Hindu, who are not all that "American", as he believes himself to be.

Things change for Kris when he meets Nina Shah, and he falls in love with her. Nina too is attracted by him, and both meet. It is then Nina finds out that Kris hates Indian, and everthing associated with India, and decides not to have to do anything with him. Kris then decides that it is now time to learn a little more about his cultural background - the American way, and not be seen and thought of an American Born Confused Desi (ABCD)