The author and her characters are obsessed with Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. The action takes place at a regency camp, where casting is underway for minoritized extras and bit players in a regency drama akin to Shondaland's Bridgerton.

DasGupta plays with Sense and Sensibility and other classics in her novel that depicts a play-within-a-play-within-a-play with secrets, intrigue, and fake dating. Sisters Eila and Mallika Das are at camp, like everyone else to have fun...and maybe be discovered. Eila, the practical older sister, loves to act, but she's practical and worries constantly about her sister, in part because their father died some years before. Mallika, for her part, doesn't care for the care-taking, and has a lighter spirit, and maybe more maturity than the three-years-older Eila. 

There is a love interest, Rahul, who is a bit of a perfect YA boyfriend, but for the secrets and lies. 

At one point, I was so engaged in the story that I nearly missed my stop--the ultimate compliment to a compelling novel!