Marigold Lexton Ali Larter is a self-centered and temperamental young American actress who arrives in India expecting to be treated like a star, even though her career has largely consisted of B-movie sequels. When the film she was to star in is canceled, she finds herself stranded in Goa, and a sympathetic crew member offers her a ride that lands her at the set of a Bollywood musical. On set, she lands a minor role and a date with the spoiled young lead actor. But after she rebuffs his crude proposal that night, she ends up talking with Prem Rajput Salman Khan, the film's choreographer, who sees through her pretenses and takes her under his wing while showing her the nearby towns and countryside in their spare time.
As their bond grows, Prem talks about the importance of family and reveals that he is estranged from his father and also a prince. He had not seen his family in three years, but the day before he receives a call from his sister asking him to come home for her wedding. He asks Marigold to come home with him to Jodhpur, Rajasthan, for the wedding, since shooting on the movie has been paused for a week. She is enchanted by the generosity and opulence of his family but afterward is shocked to discover that he has been betrothed to another since childhood. He has fallen totally in love with Marigold but has neglected to mention the long-arranged marriage, and his father has not encouraged him to follow his heart.
She feels betrayed and storms out, followed by Prem's fiancé, who offers to buy her a drink. She confesses to Marigold that although she loves Prem she doesn't believe he has ever really loved her. Meanwhile, Prem, a teetotaler, heads to a bar to drown his sorrows, where he finds a drunken American who commiserates with his romantic problems. He explains he has come looking for his estranged girlfriend, called Marigold, and Prem invites him to stay the night at his parents' house. Barry accepts and then passes out.
In the morning, Marigold decides to return with Barry to the United States, since Prem, the only son of Jaipur's Ruler, feels duty bound to marry the woman his father has chosen. The ceremony takes place that day, and as he follows his bride, whose face is totally hidden behind a long veil, seven times around the Holy fire, Prem believes he is marrying the woman he has been engaged to since childhood. With the marriage complete, Prem lifts his wife's veil, and he and most of the guests are astonished to find Marigold standing before him—and it appears that Barry has married Prem's former fiancé as well. The movie's director and their friends from the crew appear in the crowd, cheering, then Prem sings and dances with Marigold and a full chorus, just like a happy ending in a Bollywood musical.
