Jabbar Bakshi is the eldest son in the Bakshi household, and rules the entire family with an iron, Islamic hand. When he learns his sister Sabina, is having an affair with Iqbal , he is angered beyond reason. He hunts the eloped couple down and kills Iqbal. Shocked at this brutality at the hands of her brother, Sabina stabs herself and dies instantly. Jabbar is arrested, and is sentenced to 12 years in prison. His mother is devastated at Sabina?s death and decides never to forgive him.
After 12 years, Jabbar returns home and finds that Islamic values and rules are not being observed, and quickly re-asserts his authority, while his mother refuses to have to do anything with him. Jabbar meets his niece, Neelima (Sonali Bendre), and is shocked to find her the very image of Sabina. He finds out that Neelima is having an affair with Sameer (Akshaye Khanna) but Neelima out of fear, denies this.
When the couple learns of her aunt, they decide to run away from Jabbar. When Jabbar comes to know this, his anger turns to blind rage when he finds out that Sameer is a Hindu. He swears to kill them both. The news of a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl eloping spread like wildfire, arousing old flames, and creating a growing rift between the Hindus and the Muslims. It causes upheavals not just in their families but violence in the entire city.