Avantika (Kareena Kapoor), a Psychology professor in New York, decides to make her way back to India to be with her ailing father. She temporarily finds work at the prestigious Delhi University and meets Ehsaan Khan (Saif Ali Khan) a substitute teacher at the same University.
Ehsaan may have rubbed her the wrong way trying to steal a cab from under her nose, but his charm is irresistible. Sparks fly and Avantika can't hold out against it for long. Despite reservations about Ehsaan being a Muslim, her father agrees to bless their wedding. Avantika and Ehsaan are married and leave to start a new life in New York.
As soon as they settle in, Avantika manages to find a job for Ehsaan at a local University. They set out to look for a home for themselves, but Ehsaan doesn't seem to like any of the houses they see. Finally through an advertisement of an Indian neighbourhood, Avantika manages to find a house Ehsaan actually likes.
Their neighbours are conservative Muslims and their lifestyles are a revelation to Avantika. At dinner, she is taken away from Ehsaan into another quarter where all the women dine separately. They all seem to blindly accept and obey the code of conduct set by Nasreen, who along with her husband Bhaijaan are almost the de facto head of the neighborhood. All of them look up to her.
All accept another young woman, Salma. Salma visits Avantika surreptitiously the next day and asks her not to trust anyone. She tells her that her own life is in danger and she needs help. What follows are a series of bizarre events that turn Avantika's life upside down and drive her into a morass of emotions that spin madly out of control taking her to a point of no return.