Unable to bear the brutality and repeated rapes by her alcoholic husband, Kiranjit Ahluwalia a Punjabi housewife and mother of two in London, sets him on fire and kills him. Charged with first-degree murder, she is sentenced to life imprisonment, where she befriends her cell mate. Moved by her story the cell mate asks her step-brother, a highly respected queen's counsel to file her appeal. Her case comes to the notice of a group of south Asian social workers. They bring her plight to the attention of the media by organizing rallies to gather public support for her freedom. She is ultimately freed by the judicial system.