1857: the first shot is fired in the Indian mutiny against British colonisation. The bloody events which follow provide the dramatically atmospheric for this star-crossed lovers story in which Muslim rebel Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor) develops a passionate, almost obsessive, love for Ruth (Nafisa Ali), a beautiful English girl. As their tragic relationship unfolds and the rebellion surges around them, Javed's fiery brother-in-law tries to impress upon him where his true loyalties should lie...