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In colonial India, Colonel Stone and the 41st Bengal Lancers fight Indian rebels in the hills.  Included in the 41st regiment is Lieutenant Alan McGregor, a Scotch-Canadian upstart who has come to India for some excitement.  Major Hamilton, an old friend of Stone, sends for Stone's naïve son Donald, who is just out of Sandhurst military school, so he can learn from his father before the Colonel retires.

Years before, Donald's parents separated when his American mother realized Stone would always be married to the army, and Donald quickly learns that his father wants only a professional relationship with him.  With Donald is Lieutenant Forsythe, whom McGregor nicknames "Fort."  While McGregor and Fort lead a group to the border, McGregor receives a message from Lieutenant Barrett, who is dressed in Indian garb, that rebel Mohammed Kahn is preparing an attack against the Colonel.  Kahn has stirred up border tribes by offering them ammunition.

Back at the Colonel's office, Chief of Intelligence for Army Headquarters Major General Sir Thomas Woodley advises Stone to leave at dawn for Gopal for a day of pig sticking.  They believe that Othman Ali Bahadoor, the Emir of Gopal, a supposed British ally, has ordered ammunition from the British but is giving it to Khan.

In Gopal, Stone receives the emir's gracious welcome and is introduced to Khan.  Meanwhile, Donald dances with Tania Volkanskaya, Khan's "woman."  When Khan swears on the Koran that his land is at Stone's disposal, Stone asks him to postpone his departure because he knows Khan's men are waiting in the hills to steal the ammunition that is en route for Gopal.  The next day the regiment hunts wild pigs with sticks on horseback.  Although Stone warns the men against going after a wounded pig, Donald does so, and the Colonel proves his love for his son by trying to rescue him.  Khan then finds Donald with Tania and abducts him.

While McGregor and Fort look for Donald, they see Barrett's tortured corpse dropped from a horse, and McGregor shoots the Afridi rider.  McGregor then threatens the rider into telling him Donald's whereabouts.  When Stone refuses to change his strategy to save his son, McGregor insists on going alone and is arrested for insubordination with Fort as his guard.  Although Hamilton defends Stone, saying men like the Colonel have made British India what it is, McGregor and Fort leave for Khan's stronghold at Mogala disguised as merchants.  Tania recognizes them right away, and Khan imprisons and tortures them to make them tell him the route of the ammunition.  Although McGregor and Fort withstand the pain of bamboo slivers lit beneath their finger nails, Donald acquiesces and, out of vengeance for his father, reveals the route.  Khan then successfully intercepts the ammunition and prepares for combat against Stone, whose own materiel is a mere percentage of Khan's.

McGregor finally defends the Colonel against Donald's traitorous act, and Fort reads a poem about his love of England.  As Stone's army approaches Mogala, Fort steals bullets from the guards and blows open the prison wall, then he and McGregor set fire to Khan's ammunition.  McGregor, fatally wounded, asks Fort not to tell the Colonel his son betrayed him.  In a moment of extreme courage, Donald stabs Khan single-handedly and the British win.  Fort and Donald receive honors, and McGregor is awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, while the British national anthem plays.