Finding they have no idea what to do, he offers to lift the siege, even though they can raise only 120 men, by attacking Arcot, the "capital of southern India".

Colonel Clive demands the unconditional release of 146 British prisoners, but King of "Northern India" Suraj Ud Dowlah throws them into the "Black Hole of Calcutta"; only a handful survive the ordeal.

Enraged, Clive makes a secret treaty with Suraj's uncle, Mir Jaffar, despite lacking the authority to do so.

Advancing against the enemy, Clive hesitates to cross a river, soon to be made impassible by the annual monsoon rains, without a firm commitment from Mir Jaffar.

The governor and Edmund Maskelyne advise caution, and he reluctantly orders a retreat, but a supportive letter from his wife changes his mind, and Clive boldly leads his small army across.

After much initial success, his men are about to be routed by Suraj's war elephants at the Battle of Plassey when Mir Jaffar finally commits his forces, ensuring victory.

However, Picot arrives with dire news: India is in chaos, all those Clive placed in power have been replaced by corrupt men, and Mir Jaffar has been deposed.

Andre Sennwald, critic for The New York Times, called the movie "a dignified and impressive historical drama which misses genuine distinction by a comfortable margin.

... the film divides its attentions—fatally, in the opinion of this reporter—between Clive's public triumphs and defeats [sic] and his intermittent quarrels with his wife, who wants him to settle down to the life of an English country gentleman.