The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Chakrabarti, Jai. A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023.

In the first story of Chakrabarti's collection, the titular "A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness," a wealthy Indian man named Nikhil struggles to convince his secret lover, a steel worker named Sharma, to arrange for his wife to act as a surrogate for their child. This story is followed by "Lilavati's Fire," in which an Indian-American woman named Aparna suffers through a loveless marriage to a man named Harish and, as part of an effort to enliven her circumstances, attempts to construct an ancient aircraft designed by a female Indian mathematician named Lilavati. "Lost Things," meanwhile, tracks an unnamed narrator as his wife's miscarriage inspires him to recall a moment from his childhood in which a woman named Mrs. Gupta lost track of her son at the circus and cried out for him.

"The Import" focuses on the endeavor of a man named Raj to hire a nanny from India (Rupa) to take care of his son (Shay) much to the consternation of his wife (Bethany), an endeavor that results in a mishap that forces Raj to reckon with the fissures in his and Bethany's marriage. "Prodigal Son," meanwhile, chronicles the travels of a white man named Jonah who promises Karna, the young son of Jonah's musical guru, Guruji, passage to America before abruptly rescinding his offer upon realizing that it will shatter his marriage to his wife. "Lessons With Father" follows yet another unnamed narrator who insists that her father train her in the art of painting and then carries on his craft following his eventual death.

In "Daisy Lane," an American couple, Harold and Shira, travel to India to adopt a boy named Boone, but encounter a moral crisis when they realize that Boone has a sister, Lila, who begs them not to take Boone away without adopting her as well. "The Narrow Bridge" focuses on a New York woman named Eliza, whose long-time domestic partner, Sarah, begins to develop an advanced case of dementia, an event that inspires Eliza to pressure one of her boarders, an Indian man named Amit, into abandoning his studies and relationships in order to take care of Sarah while she suffers her decline. "Mendel's Wall" details the marriage of two Jewish people, Mendel and Leah, which begins to collapse when Mendel constructs an enormous concrete wall in the middle of their home, a decision that Mendel begins to regret as quickly as Leah begins to embrace it.

"Searching for Elijah" chronicles the efforts of a woman named Malini to assimilate with the Jewish family of her fiancé, Stephen, a process she attempts to speed along by agreeing to the demands of Stephen's mother that Malini and her young son convert to Judaism. In "A Mother's Work," a woman named Rani finds employment with various Indian families by impersonating their absent mothers in order to break up undesirable marriages, a career whose consequences Rani is forced to reflect on when she is caught in the act by Melody, the girlfriend of one of her clients' sons. "When the Tantric Comes to Town" chronicles the life of a man named Prem Chatterjee who acquires the services of a Tantric in order to mend his life and repair his marriage to his wife, Julia, an effort that results in Julia being kidnapped and Prem abandoning all measure of personal agency in order to be with her.

"In the Bug Room" chronicles the tragic story of Chinmoy, who returns to his family's estate in India after an unsuccessful attempt to immigrate to America only to discover that the family's maid, Shefali, has become a voice of authority in the house in Chinmoy's absence. "The Overnight Bus" follows two brothers, Tara and Mintu, who abruptly leave their home in the middle of the night at Tara's urging; though Mitnu believes they are leaving to become monks, Tara is in fact fleeing from his responsibilities and attempting to pay off the debt he owes to a drug dealer, a revelation that eventually fractures the brothers' relationship. Finally, "The Fortunes of Others" follows a Kabuliwallah who adopts a young Indian boy named Sundar only to watch him slowly be lured away by an American woman named Hannah, who eventually offers Sundar passage back to America with her and leaves the Kabuliwallah bereft.