In 1840, a girl named Ameeran Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is kidnapped from her home in Faizabad by Dilawar Khan Vishwajeet Pradhan, a criminal who had already been jailed years before based on testimony from Ameeran's father. To exact revenge, Dilawar sells Ameeran to a Lucknow brothel, where she is cared for by Bua Hussaini Himani Shivpuri and Maulvi Sahib Kulbhushan Kharbanda. They raise her as their own daughter, and in the company of Khurshid Ayesha Jhulka, Bismillah Divya Dutta, and Gauhar Mirza Puru Raaj Kumar, Ameeran learns the arts and crafts of a traditional tawaif, slowly transforming into a captivating performer within that world.
Ameeran, now renamed Umrao Jaan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, grows into a remarkable beauty who catches the eye of Nawab Sultan Khan Abhishek Bachchan. The pair begin a romance, but Nawab’s father disowns him for pursuing the relationship, prompting Nawab to seek refuge at his uncle’s house. In his absence, Faiz Ali Suniel Shetty becomes infatuated with Umrao. She resists his advances, yet he continues to pursue her and ultimately asks her to accompany him back to his home in Daulatabad. Umrao agrees, but only if they travel via Ghari, a route that would bring them close to Nawab.
During the journey, state soldiers arrest the pair, and Faiz Ali is revealed to be a wanted dacoit. Nawab hurries to meet Umrao, but first crosses paths with Ali, who ends up imprisoned. Ali manipulates Nawab by insinuating that Umrao and he shared a sexual past, leading Nawab to believe that Umrao betrayed him and prompting her to be escorted back to Lucknow.
Back in Lucknow, Umrao learns that Maulvi Sahib had died while she was away, a loss that leaves her more vulnerable to the schemes around her. Gauhar Mirza [Puru Raaj Kumar] then tries to take advantage of her, and when she resists, he rapes her. Soon after, the British attack the city, forcing Umrao to flee once again. She returns to her childhood home in Faizabad, where she discovers her father has died and she is met with rejection from her family because of her profession. Devastated, Umrao travels back toward Lucknow, and along the way encounters her kidnapper, Dilawar Khan Vishwajeet Pradhan again, now homeless and afflicted with leprosy. He begs for her help; she gives him her gold bangles and prays for his forgiveness before continuing her journey.
Umrao spends the remainder of her life in Lucknow, where she earns widespread renown for her poetry, becoming a celebrated figure whose verses endure beyond the world she navigated as a performer.
