A cantankerous and brilliant architect, Alfred, embarks on a highly unusual commission in Malta for a man who calls himself 'The Grand Duke of Corsica'. An epidemic hits the Island and all must flee, but Alfred remains to finish the job.

Layla, a British-born Chinese girl, struggles with the dualities and contradictions of two disparate cultural identities. On Chinese New Year, she is pushed to reckon with the subtle racism she experiences from her school friends, as well as the grating prejudices of her older male relatives.