After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, a young buyer at a Chicago department store returns to the small town in which she grew up to share the news with her family. What she learns during her time at home is the subject of “The Russell Girl.”

It's easy to see why the multiethnic audience at a Russell Peters' comedy show goes into hysterics over his racial jokes. Even when commenting on stereotypes--for example, that Indian people are cheap and proud of it--Peters' characterizations are uncannily personal.