The film is a fictional narrative set in the nine hours in the life of Nathuram Godse (Horst Buchholz) that led up to his assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (J.S. Casshyap). As he prepares for the shooting at Gandhi's residence, flashbacks recall Godse's hostility to Muslims, his adherence to a militant Hindu group that hatches the plot to kill Gandhi, and his involvement with a married woman Rani (Valerie Gearon) and a prostitute Sheila (Diane Baker). Meanwhile, a police officer Supt. Gopal Das (Jose Ferrer) attempts to find the killer before it is too late.