A family struggles to cope with the tragedy of a teenager on Changi Prison's death row for a crime she did not commit


Set against the growing pains of a nascent Singapore in the 1980s, 15 Grams chronicles the circumstances behind 18-year-old Gitanjali "Li Li" Mistry's arrest after she is found with 15 grams of heroin, the minimum threshold for the mandatory death penalty. While Li Li's family struggles to deal with the fate that has befallen their youngest, most beloved member, Li Li grapples with her demons in prison, likewise struggling to cope with her imminent execution-and the knowledge that she is innocent. As Li Li's death sentence looms, she finds solace in her family's unconditional love and the unlikely friends she makes in prison, strengthening her resolve to uncover the truth about herself, more than anything else, from her family before her time is up.

Equal parts tragic and hopeful, 15 Grams stands as both historical recollection and existential discovery-simultaneously transporting readers to a long-forgotten, more communal Singapore and taking them through the moral complexities of Li Li's journey as she finds dignity in her pursuit of truth, and peace in her situation.