During the Partition of India , Muslims are attacked by radical Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan when migrating from India by train to the railway station at West Punjab in Pakistan. At the same time, Muslims are killing Sikhs and Hindus migrating from Pakistan towards East Punjab in India. During the Hindu-Muslim riots that erupted soon after the partition, Tara Singh, a truck driver, also plans to kill Muslims, but stops after recognizing his acquaintance Sakina Ali from the little Taj Mahal antique in her hands. Tara saves and protects her from the mob chasing her because she failed to get onto the train with her family members after being lost in the crowd. As the mob attempts to kill her brutally, Tara Singh defends Sakina by applying blood (implying Sindoor) to her forehead to make her as his Sikh wife. While driving back to their house, Tara and Sakina remember their college days.
Past - Pre 1947: Tara's real ambition is to become a singer, where Sakina's friends fool a Truck Driver Tara to think that they have got him a spot on their college’s music show in return for a favour. Tara performs badly in front of the music teacher (portrayed by Sakina). His friend gives him tablets that help him to prove his singing skills. Later, Tara finds that Sakina is not the real music teacher, which saddens him. When performing on the music show, Sakina announces that she will not do her act, instead gives a chance for Tara to sing despite being against the seniors' will at the college. Tara impresses everybody with his talent. While returning home after completing the final year, Sakina is given a Taj Mahal antique by Tara as a goodbye present.
Later, Tara's parents Jaideep Singh, Parmeet Kaur and two sisters are depressed as they did not return to Amritsar before the partition. Tara's Muslim friend meets the family and requests them to stay with him as parents love both friends equally, but Tara's parents and sisters disagree. They reluctantly decide to leave. While leaving for the station, Jaideep and Parmeet give two paper pouches to their daughters. The bewildered twins ask them about the pouches, where Jaideep tells that the sisters should not hesitate to give up their lives lest any Muslim attacks. The family reaches the station and boards the train. After some time, a large Muslim mob attacks the whole train consisting of Hindu and Sikh refugees.
The people escape to save themselves, but are killed gruesomely. Tara's sister hastily tries to eat the poison, but two men throw it from their hands and kill them after cruel physical abuse. The train, which was full of dead bodies of Hindus and Sikhs, has just arrived at Amritsar station. Tara, who along with other Hindus and Sikhs waiting to pick up their relatives at the station, saw that their relatives were slaughtered inside the train. Enraged, the Hindus and Sikhs formed a strong squad in East Punjab and retaliated in the same manner along with Tara and massacred every Muslim in Amritsar station trying to flee to Pakistan.
Present 1947-1954: Tara and Sakina reach their house, where he explains that applying sindoor doesn't mean anything as he did this only to save her life. After learning from the local railway station about her parents' demise, Sakina starts living in Tara's house. After overhearing Tara's aunt's comments about how society is reacting towards Tara's family that he is keeping a Muslim, she insists Tara to take her to a Muslim refugee camp as she doesn't want to overburden him anymore. Before Tara and Sakina head out towards Lahore, Sakina insists that she had learned about Tara's love for her by reading his secret diary but doesn't say anything. After reaching the border and realizing her love for him, she proposes to him for marriage. They get married and become parents of a baby boy named Charanjeet "Jeete" Singh.
Their life seems like a bed of roses until Sakina sees an old newspaper during Holi festival which has a photograph of her father Ashraf Ali and realizes that her parents are alive. Ashraf Ali is actually the present mayor of Lahore. When Sakina calls Ashraf Ali from the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi, he arranges to fly her to Lahore. However, Tara and their son Jeete, who is supposed to accompany her to Lahore, are told at the last minute that their visa formalities have not been completed, which compels them to stay in India. Sakina leaves with a heavy heart and meets her whole clan back in Lahore. After some time, Sakina tells that she wants to return to India, but her mother (Lilette Dubey) tells her that she was about to be disowned as people were babbling about her staying with an Indian Jatt.
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