Mu mwaka wa 1795, mu gihe Ubuhinde bwari buzwi nka Hindostan, Umwami Mirza Sikander Baig yicwa n’umuyobozi w’Abongereza John Clive, maze ubwami bwe bugafatwa n’Ikigo cy’Abongereza cyitwa East India Company. Abaturage baricwa, ariko Zafira, umukobwa w’umwami, na Khudabaksh, umusirikare mukuru, bararokoka.

Khudabaksh afata Zafira nk’umukobwa we, amutoza kurwana no kwihagararaho. Hashize imyaka 11, Zafira aba intwari ikomeye, ikorana na Khudabaksh mu itsinda ry’abarwanyi b’inkubiri bashaka kwibohoza. Abongereza bohereza Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan), umujura w’umunyabwenge, kugira ngo yinjire mu itsinda ry’abarwanyi nk’umutasi. Firangi ni umuntu wifuza amafaranga n’uburumbuke, ariko uko agenda amenya Zafira na Khudabaksh, atangira kwibaza ku butumwa bwabo.

Firangi yinjira mu itsinda, akabeshya ko ari umufatanyabikorwa, ariko nyuma baza kumenya ko ari umutasi. Icyakora, Khudabaksh amwizeye kugeza ku munota wa nyuma, na Zafira akamwizeza ko azihorera.