Set in a peaceful, lush town surrounded by estate plantations in southern India, Prelude to a Riot explores how quiet prejudice slowly simmers beneath the surface of everyday life. Told through a series of interconnected monologues and perspectives—from estate owners, laborers, and shopkeepers to teachers and students—the novel reveals a community subtly fracturing along religious, class, and cultural lines. Rather than focusing on a sudden outbreak of violence, Annie Zaidi masterfully captures the slow-burning tension, casual bigotry, and creeping intolerance that pave the way for civil unrest, offering a chilling and deeply human look at how harmony disintegrates from within.