Plot

Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator.

It's the early 1920s. Britons Adela Quested (Judy Davis) and her probable future mother-in-law Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft) have just arrived in Chandrapore in British India to visit Adela's unofficial betrothed, Ronny Heaslop (Nigel Havers), who works there as the city's magistrate. Adela and Mrs. Moore, who long for "an adventure" in experiencing all India has to offer, are dismayed to learn upon their arrival that the ruling British do not socialize, let alone associate, with the native population. Such people as the Turtons, Mr. Turton (Richard Wilson) being Ronny's superior, who openly thumb their noses at the idea in their belief that the Indians are an inferior people. They are further dismayed to see that Ronny adheres to that custom in not wanting to jeopardize his career. At the local white only club, Adela and Mrs. Moore find a like-minded Brit in the form of Richard Fielding (James Fox), the school master at government college, he who offers to organize a small, but truly inclusive, social gathering with some natives for them, unlike the large party the Turtons organize, where the natives are treated poorly, and are used more as window dressing for Adela and Mrs. Moore's benefit. In addition to Fielding's colleague, eccentric Brahmin scholar Professor Narayan Godbole (Sir Alec Guinness), Adela, and Mrs. Moore would like to invite Aziz Ahmed (Victor Banerjee), a young, widowed local physician with whom Mrs. Moore had a chance encounter. As Mrs. Moore is the first Brit who has ever treated him with kindness as she did at that encounter, Aziz is happy to attend. As Aziz wants to impress them by being what he thinks they want him to be, which is more western, he offers to organize an outing for this small collective to the Marabar Caves, which has some renown. The outing is despite Aziz never having been to the caves himself, and despite the expense to himself, that sum of money which he really can ill afford. Something that happens at the caves has the potential to bring the British-Indian bridge that has been forged within this small collective come crumbling down, that something which also threatens Aziz and Adela's lives in the process.—Huggo

Adela Quested (Judy Davis), a young Englishwoman, travels to India in the late 1920s to visit her fiancé, a British magistrate posted in a small town. Her travelling companion is his mother Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft). They want to see something of the country and to meet everyday Indians, but are frustrated by the British community's insistence that relations with the locals are best experienced from a distance. Finally, a friend introduces them to a Muslim doctor who Mrs. Moore had seen briefly on her visit to a mosque. He takes them on an outing to the nearby caverns (a local attraction), but what happens there threatens to destroy any civility between the British and Indian societies.—scgary66

Adela Quested (Judy Davis) is sailing from England to British Raj India with Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), the mother of her intended bridegroom, Ronny Heaslop (Nigel Havers), Mrs. Moore's son from her first marriage. Heaslop is the City magistrate in Chandrapore, and Adela intends to see if she can make a go of it. Mrs Moore is scheduled to return from India after a few weeks, and Adela intends to stay on and has an open-ended ticket with the cruise liner. The ship arrives in Bombay, from where the ladies have to travel another 1000 miles over land to reach Chandrapore. Collector Turton (Richard Wilson) is Ronny's boss in Chandrapore and is travelling on the same train, with his wife Mrs Turton (Antonia Pemberton).

The ladies are disappointed to find that the British community is very much separated from the Indian population and culture with a growing Indian independence movement in the 1920s. Anthony (Ashok Mandanna) is Ronny's butler. Major McBryde (Michael Culver) is in charge of law and order in the town. Turton makes attempts to help Adela and Mrs Moore meet Indians in social settings, but Adela is ashamed to see that the Indians are not treated well by the British. Indians are seen with distrust and disdain. Mrs Moore also admonishes Ronny and says that she cannot understand this disdain for the fellow human.

Mrs. Moore meets by chance another Indian local, Dr Aziz Ahmed (Victor Banerjee) at the local mosque, which she visits at night and happens to find Aziz there. Aziz is a widower who is surprised by her kindness and lack of prejudice. Ali (Art Malik) and Aziz are good friends. Advocate Hamidullah (Saeed Jaffrey) and Begum Hamidullah (Dina Pathak) are also very close to Aziz.

Adela and Mrs Moore are encouraged when the local school superintendent Richard Fielding (James Fox), introduces them to the eccentric elderly Hindu Brahmin scholar Professor Narayan Godbole (Alec Guinness). Fielding also formally introduces Aziz to the ladies.

Aziz offers to host an excursion to the local Marabar Caves. Godbole tries to discourage the ladies by saying that the caves are dark and empty. Ronny reacts very strongly to Adela meeting Indians, prompting her to later tell Ronny that she has decided that she will not marry him. Meanwhile Aziz is in a state of panic. Hamidullah tells Aziz that he will have to arrange transport from the station to the hills, furniture for the English ladies to sit, food for the English and for Professor Godbole (who eats only fruits), and alcohol. All of this will mean he will have to hire servants.

To clear her head, Adela takes a bike ride and comes upon some abandoned ruins. She finds ancient Indian art celebrating carnal love between man and woman. She finds the images savage and is also attacked by monkeys. She returns home to embrace Ronny and tells him that she was wrong to reject him. Ronny and Adela get engaged.

On the day of the expedition, Fielding and Godbole miss the train when they arrive late due to Godbole's prayers. After the train, Aziz had arranged elephants to transport Mrs Moore and Adela to the hills. Just outside the caves, Aziz sets up the furniture and serves port wine to the ladies. The initial exploration of the caves shows that the size of the party should be limited when Mrs. Moore suffers from claustrophobia and the noise from the large entourage echoes exponentially inside the caves. Mrs. Moore encourages Adela and Aziz to continue their exploration of the caves alone with just one guide.

They reach the caves at a higher elevation some distance from the group and, before entering, Aziz steps away to smoke a cigarette. He returns to find Adela has disappeared. Shortly afterwards, he sees her running headlong down the hill, disheveled. She is picked up by the doctor Major Callendar's (Clive Swift) wife, Mrs. Callendar (Ann Firbank) who had arrived at the caves with Fielding, and taken to the Callendars' home. Adela is bleeding and delirious. Dr. Callendar medicates Adela with a hypodermic syringe.

Upon his return to Chandrapore, Dr. Aziz is accused of attempting to sexually assault Adela inside the caves, is jailed awaiting trial, and the incident exposes clear fault-lines between the Indians and the British. It is reported that Adela herself accused Aziz of sexual assault. Ali and Hamidullah volunteer to be Aziz's legal counsel. Adela is kept sedated as her entire body is riddled with cactus spines when she ran into while running down the hill. Godbole tells Fielding that no matter what he does, the outcome of the trial against Aziz is already decided. Mrs. Moore firmly believes Aziz did not commit any offense and departs India for England. Seemingly enjoying her passage at sea, Mrs. Moore suddenly suffers an apparent heart attack and dies.

Hamidullah and Ali bring in noted advocate Amrit Rao (Roshan Seth) from Calcutta to defend Aziz. Fielding declares under pressure to Turton that he will resign from the college if Aziz is found guilty.

In court, Adela is questioned by the prosecutor, who is stunned when Adela replies that Dr. Aziz never entered the cave, where the supposed attempt took place. It becomes clear to Adela that her earlier signed accusation of attempted sexual assault was false, so she recants. Aziz is freed and celebrated for his innocence. Adela is abandoned to her own devices by the British, except for Mr. Fielding, who assists her to safety at the college. She plans to return to England at the earliest moment. Hamidullah plans to sue Adela for damages of Rs 20,000 but Fielding talks Aziz out of it. Aziz rids himself of his western associations and vows to find a new job in another Indian state; he opens a clinic in the lake area near Srinagar, Kashmir.

Meanwhile, through Adela, Fielding has married Stella Moore (Sandra Hotz), Mrs. Moore's daughter from her second marriage. Fielding brings Stella to meet Aziz in Kashmir. Aziz eventually reconciles with Fielding, and Aziz writes to Adela asking her to forgive him for taking so long to come to appreciate the courage she exercised when she withdrew her accusation in court.