That Girl in Yellow Boots

Ruth, a British woman, arrives in India after receiving a letter from her father expressing a desire to reconnect, though he provides no address. She begins her search by gathering clues about his whereabouts, motivated by a longing to know her roots. Her journey starts without knowing exactly where her father is located, setting the stage for her quest.

Due to her lack of a work permit, Ruth starts working at a massage parlor to support herself. She offers services for money and navigates a city filled with corruption, bribing officials and dealing with difficult clients. This environment exposes her to Mumbai's underbelly and her struggle for independence intensifies.

Ruth regularly interacts with clients like Diwakar and Lynn, who develop genuine care for her beyond transactional encounters. These relationships provide her with emotional support and insights, while also revealing personal backgrounds and complex connections to her search.

Determined to find her father, Ruth travels across India, visiting places such as Pondicherry, Goa, and Pune. Each location brings her closer to uncovering clues about his identity and current whereabouts, deepening her resolve and personal journey.

Ruth's relationship with Prashant, a drug addict, becomes strained as he owes money to the drug lord Chittiappa. Chittiappa's demands for repayment lead to hostile encounters, and Ruth finds herself caught in dangerous criminal dealings, further complicating her situation.

Chittiappa arrives at Ruth's apartment demanding money and assaults her when her finances run low. Using her knowledge of his traumatic past, Ruth manipulates him into leaving her alone, illustrating her resilience amid threats and violence.

Ruth learns that her father is living under the alias Benjamin Patel in India through a cult member. She finds out that he was asked to leave the ashram and is residing in a flat in Mumbai, setting her on the path to find and confront her father.

Ruth bribes the British consulate officer Peter to obtain a list of potential matches for her father, discovering that a photographer named Benjamin Patel is registered with the consulate. She exchanges help in entertaining investors for additional intelligence about her father’s identity.

Ruth visits the address she obtained and finds her photos everywhere, implying someone has been following her. She then encounters her regular client Lynn, who shockingly reveals that he is her father and has loved her all along, exposing the shocking truth about her family background.

Lynn confesses that he married her mother and is her biological father, also revealing a tragic history involving her step-sister Emily, who committed suicide. His love for Ruth is genuine, and this revelation shatters her understanding of her identity and family.

Realizing the painful truths about her family, Ruth decides to leave her job at the massage parlor, symbolically hanging up her yellow boots. She plans to return to Britain, ending her quest but carrying the weight of the revelations she uncovered.