In the summer of 1866, in Aurangabad, the British colonial government announces a bounty on the head of Nana Sahib, who is supposed to be hiding in that presidency.

Nana Sahib escapes from Aurangabad the same night and, taking his brother Bala Rao and followers, hidden in Ajanta and Ellora caves respectively, retreats to the Vindhiyanchal mountains to hide from colonial forces.

The mad woman is known as Rowing Flame as she carries a burning torch and roams the wilderness in the valley of Narmada.

From this hiding place, Nana Sahib launches an underground movement and secretly visit local chieftains for persuading them for an uprising.

The group consist of Banks, a railroad engineer; Maucler, the French adventurer and narrator for most of the story; Captain Hood, a hunter craving his half century of tigers, retired Colonel Sir Edward Munro, whose motive behind joining this expedition is to find and kill Nana Sahib to avenge his wife, who supposedly died in the Cawnpore massacre.

They start from Calcutta, and travel around the French town of Chandannagar, and Burdawan, Patna and Chitra, reach Gaya, where they visit various Hindu and Buddhist temples and bathing Ghat.

From Banaras, they travel to Allahabad, where they learn that Nana Sahib has been declared dead after a skirmish in the defiles of Satpura.

The group decides to journey towards a northern forest, and pass the Monsoon season there, hunting wild animals.

While returning to their hiding place, near the Pal of Tandil, they are ambushed by British forces, who were directed unwittingly by the madwoman Rowing Flame.

A body matching the description of Nana Sahib is found and he is declared dead by the British authorities.

All the food and provisions are lost with the second carriage and after some time, the fuel is exhausted, resulting in the Steam House floating in the middle of the lake.

As soon as they reach the shore, Kalagni meets Nassim, a follower of Nana, and tries to attack Goumi, who swiftly escapes.

Colonel Munro is taken to an abandoned fort, where Nana Sahib shows up and reveals the reality of the news of his death.

Due to their physical similarity, the British authorities mistook Balao Rao for Nana Sahib.

Near dawn, Munro is rescued by Goumi, who had hid himself inside the cannon after running away from Lake Puturia and overhearing the plans of the rebels.

As they near a military outpost, Banks supercharges the boiler and the protagonists escape the Behemoth, leaving bounded Nana Sahib inside the machine.