Cactus Pears centers a gentle, affirming queer romance between two men reconnecting amid mourning and rural Indian traditions. Their relationship is depicted with tenderness, emotional depth, and subtle support from family, presenting queer love as valid and worthy despite external pressures.

The film centers on a man's return to his rural extended family for his father's 10-day mourning rites, where elders and relatives pressure him toward heterosexual marriage while he pursues a same-sex romance with a childhood friend; traditional family structures and expectations are depicted as restrictive and oppressive forces that the protagonist must navigate or resist to pursue personal fulfillment.

The film depicts Hindu mourning rituals and temple practices as part of a restrictive traditionalist rural culture that enforces family and social expectations against the protagonists' queer relationship.