A group of religious fanatics in India, the Tughs, prey upon Europeans and natives alike, capturing and offering them up in sacrifice to their frightful goddess, Kali. The Governor of the Province sends Tremal Naik, a famous Indian hunter,on an expedition to end the savagery. He is accompanied by Major Kennedy and Major Maffertis, the latter with a personal reason for wanting to destroy the Tughs and their sinister leader, Siodana. Maffertis, once stationed in the district with his family, is certain that his small daughter was a victim of the cult, but he has no proof and has not heard anything of her since her disappearance years ago. Tremal also has his own troupe made up of his faithful companions Kammamuri, Aghur and Urti, and his famed tiger Darma. Later, Tremal sees and falls in love with the white girl the Tughs hold captive, but she begs him to forget her and warns him of the danger to both of them if he tries to penetrate the mystery surrounding the large banyan tree where he first saw her. Ignoring the warning when his companion Urti is killed near the tree, Tremal discovers that it is the entrance to the temple where Ada is an unwilling priestess.