Synopsis:

The film opens in Kuwait (Aug 1990) with Indian businessman Ranjit Katiyal clinching a business deal with the Emir of Kuwait. Katiyal is a ruthless businessman who will go to any lengths to make a profit. He is successful and well connected in Kuwait and Iraq. Katiyal calls himself a Kuwaiti and is generally derisive towards Indians. He has a large and well appointed mansion in Kuwait, he makes a happy home with his wife Amrita and his sweet little daughter Simu.
Late that evening he receives word that Iraq has attacked Kuwait. (He explains that Iraq and Kuwait have had tense relations: Iraq owes a large dollar debt to Kuwait and Saddam has urged the Kuwaiti establishment to reduce oil supply so prices can rise. When Kuwait refused and remained defiant Saddam ordered the attack.) At this point Katiyal believes the attack is one of the many minor border skirmishes. He asks Amrita to take the child away to London for a few days until things cool down.
In short order he discovers that the attack was not a minor skirmish. Iraqi soldiers are overruning Kuwait and plundering the city and indiscriminately targeting and murdering Kuwaiti citizens. Katiyal and Nair drive to the Indian Embassy. They are stopped by angry Iraqi soldiers (still in their teenage years) and when Nair begins pleading in Arabic he is shot dead. Katiyal manages to reach the Embassy. The consul, a friend of Katiyal, explains that the Kuwaiti government (the Emir family and others) has fled and Kuwaiti money is now worthless. The 170,000 Indians in Kuwait are now refugees until India decides its policy.
Katiyal returns. He is pulled out at a checkpost and taken to the Emir palace. Iraqi Major Khalaf is now in charge. He chides Katiyal for not remembering him from his previous visits to Iraq. He explains that Iraq has always enjoyed good relations with India and now he extends his own personal friendship to Katiyal by which he means Katiyal should transact business with him; business now includes supplies, transport out of Kuwait and anything else that may be needed. Katiyal hurries home; his mansion is looted but his wife and child are safe at his office. Katiyal meets with his friends (one of them owns a supermarket). After some initial confusion he manages to convince them to stay together. A makeshift camp is set up at a nearby school and some 500 Indians move in. Amrita urges Katiyal to use his clout to extricate his own family but Katiyal (who ordinarily would have just looked to himself) appears to have a change of heart.
Katiyal decides to stay and help the others get out. He eventually discovers that the Indian Embassy has been evacuated as well. He phones the Indian External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi where he reaches Joint Secretary Kohli who, as is common in the Ministry, redirects him to another officer. As Katiyal is trying to reach someone the camp is looted by Iraqi soldiers. Katiyal reaches the Major who explains that his soldiers need food