Anika Rao is a warm, soft‐spoken Indian‐American woman in her early twenties who works at her parents’ successful restaurant. Outwardly she’s dutiful, friendly, and competent; inwardly she aches for freedom and a life she chooses for herself. She code‐switches effortlessly between “good daughter,” “American server,” and the bright, open version of herself she shows only to people she trusts. She has a secret lotus tattoo on her ribs, slipping grades she hides from her parents, and a growing personal connection to her Hindu faith that she doesn’t yet understand. She’s already close to Adam Whitaker and his daughter Naya, though she hasn’t admitted to herself how much she missed them during their recent week away.