Zaf is a Scottish Asian radio DJ presenting his final overnight show at Radio Chaadni, a community station broadcasting from an abandoned church in Glasgow. In the six hours he has left Zaf decides to ignore his audience's requests, and instead play the songs that remind him of lost loves in Scotland, and painful memories from Pakiston. The novel is split into the six hours of Zaf's 'Madness Show', but the crucial divisions are found in the playlist, which helps the reader keep track of which song is playing, and therefore which of Zaf's memories are being triggered. His musical tastes range from the energetic beat of Asian Dub Foundation (when angry); the Beatles'Indian- flavoured songs (when lyrical); and the sonorous Lata Mangeshkar (when sentimental).