The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Desai, Sara. To Have and To Heist. Berkley, July 18, 2023. Kindle.

In the romance/comedy To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai, Simi Chopra thought her life could not get any worse. Even though she had a business degree, she worked two dead-end jobs to pay her bills. When her apartment flooded, she was forced to move home until repairs could be made. Simi's parents insisted that all her problems would be solved if only she were married. Simi’s world fell completely apart when her best friend, Chloe, was framed in the theft of a $25 million necklace. Fearing Chloe would go to jail, even though she was innocent, Simi teamed up with Jack. He promised her that he knew who had stolen the necklace. Jack said that he needed her to help him steal it back.

Chloe, a single mother, worked a part-time job as a white hat hacker. She was given a job testing the security system at the Victoria Museum where the Wild Heart diamond necklace was on display. Instead of meeting with her contact at the museum, Chloe found herself alone, locked in the room from which the priceless artifact had been stolen. Chloe called Simi for help. Chloe knew that she had been framed. With the evidence suggesting that Chloe had disabled the security system to help the thieves steal it, Chloe believed she had little hope.

Simi, who was outside the museum trying to rescue her friend, was pulled into the bushes by a strange man when the police arrived. Instead of being afraid of her abductor, Simi enjoyed their banter as they waited for the police to leave. A few days later, the man found Simi where she was working at her father’s tailor shop. He made her an offer. He knew who had the necklace, but he needed her to put together a crew to perform the heist. If they were successful and Jack was able to return the necklace to its rightful owner, Chloe would be exonerated. They would also split the $5 million reward.

Simi and Chloe agreed to help Jack. They put together a ragtag heist crew, none of whom were professional criminals. Hilarity ensued as the inexperienced crew went up against a mob family in an attempt to retrieve the necklace. They got a break when they learned that Bella Angelini, daughter of the man who stole the necklace, was getting married. Bella had angered all the wedding vendors in town with her demands and bad behavior. Simi and her crew masqueraded as wedding planners to get access to the house and the safe where the necklace was stored.

After a comedy of errors that included Bella taking advantage of Simi’s compassionate nature and manipulating her into helping Bella escape from her arranged marriage, Bella stealing the necklace to sell herself, and the confusion created by a 3D copy of the necklace, Simi and her crew sold the necklace back to its rightful owner and claimed the reward.