Amir longs for his homeland of India where, despite living in large cities, everyone knows his neighbors.  Amir is isolated in his world in Cleveland and hasn’t made many friends.  He feels part of that is due to his ethnicity, and the fact that everyone surrounding the apartment building is of different cultures. 

Amir loves to garden and is very good at it. His vegetables flourish in the garden and stand out above the rest.  His eggplants are particularly beautiful and draw the awe of the other gardeners. His neighbors start striking up conversations with Amir about his vegetables, bringing them together as a community and reminding Amir of his life in India.  Amir learns that sometimes it is small things that will bring people together if you just reach out and try to get to know one another.

The garden changes Amir’s perceptions that America is an unfriendly place, and like the vegetables that thrive in his garden, Amir’s life will now grow and become more complete.