Dhanakpur village farmer Thakur Jaswant Singh (Alok Nath) and Dhanraj Singh (Dalip Tahil) are brothers. They have a younger sister Madhumati, who was used, made pregnant and ditched by Ratan Singh, the son of Thakur Raghuveer Singh from a big Rajput family in the same village, who is now into getting married to another woman. The family refuses Jawant Singh's request to get his sister married to Ratan Singh. Ratan's family refuses to accept that he is guilty, as they are interested in their family's status. Insulted Jaswant Singh, decides to leave the village. Unable to tolerate the events, Madhumati commits suicide. Frustrated by this event, Dhanraj Singh kills Ratan Singh at his wedding and gets imprisoned. The two families are now bitter enemies. Jaswant Singh moves to Delhi and, with his friend Bhagwan Das, develops his clothing business and reach good status; he also takes the responsibility to raise Dhanraj's kids. Years later, Dhanraj gets released from the prison. Upon release, Dhanraj receives a letter from his son, Raj (Aamir Khan), an ardent music lover, who completes his education in Rajput College. An emotional Dhanraj sneaks into Raj's college farewell party and is glad to see his son fulfill his dreams.
In a twist of fate, Raj and his buddy go to Dhanakpur to clear his family's land deal. While returning home, Raj falls for Randhir's daughter, Rashmi (Juhi Chawla) and sneaks as an uninvited guest into Randhir's residence at Rashmi's birthday bash. After a while he manages to sneak out. Coincidently, the two meet again at a holiday and hunting spot. They are lost in the forest, finding a way out, and in the process fall in love. Raj finds out about Rashmi's family but is unable to tell her the truth. Dhanraj tells Rashmi the truth about Raj's background and that she must forget about him. When Randhir Singh, the family member of Raghuveer Singh, finds out about this affair, he immediately arranges Rashmi's wedding. The two lovers take on their families and elope, dreaming of an idyllic life together.