Manu rushes out of the house straight to the akhada (gymnasium) on her horse early in the morning. Nana Saheb is yet to hone his skills, but Manu impresses one and all when she defeats Tatyaguru. The Peshwa has been exiled to Bithur by the English who are increasing their stranglehold over India. An incident at a religious function leaves Manu disturbed. Her father tries to make her understand that the Peshwa's insult was caused by the fear of the cruel English. The insult annoys Manu and when she witnesses the inhuman treatment of a stable hand by an Englishman, she punishes him with a whip. When Manu refuses to apologize, the Peshwa is forced to apologize to the Englishmen on Manu's behalf.

When Manu stubbornly refuses to apologize to Jeff, Vahini Saheb decides to teach her a lesson. Vahini Saheb orders Manu to memorize 25 Shlokas (verses) by evening or else she will have to face punishment. Moropant requests Vahini Saheb to forgive Manu. But to his disappointment, she starts insulting him, discussing his background and the favors he received from Peshwa. Manu couldn't tolerate this and argues with Vahini Saheb that she cannot insult her father because he has done nothing wrong. Manu then leaves Vahini Saheb speechless by narrating all the Shlokas along with the translation. Then Peshwa walks in and forgives Manu. Later, Manu agrees to apologize to Jeff in presence of everyone only if he apologizes to Basu Kaka. Peshwa thinks it's fair, however Jeff doesn't agree. At night, an angry Vahini Saheb tells Moropant to get Manu married off and leave Bithur. Peshwa interrupts their conversation and announces that from now on Manu will live in the palace.

Manu shows some children an arrow that explodes on hitting its target. She also displays its functioning in front of Nana Saheb. He is extremely impressed and invites her to come and practice at a isolated spot. While practicing, Nana Saheb's horse gets scared and starts running. The sudden movement results in Nana falling off the horse and being dragged by the horse. Nana Saheb falls off a cliff.

Manu climbs down the cliffside to help Nana Saheb. At the palace, situation is quite tense. Vahini Saheb and Rani Saheb are worried about Nana Saheb. Manson accuses Moropant of instigating a revolt against the Britishers. Manu is worried as Nana Saheb is unconscious after the fall. She decides to take him back to the palace. When Manu returns to the palace with an unconscious Nana, panic spreads. Manu is accused of injuring Nana Saheb. Later, when Manson questions Manu about the explosive arrows, she tells him that she made them. Manson warns Moropant that if anything like this is repeated, his pensions will be discontinued.

Moropant makes it clear to Manu that henceforth she will not use the bow and arrow. He even prohibits her from going to the training ground. At the training ground, Tatyaguru trains Rao Saheb and tells him to watch Manu when she comes. Later, he is informed that Manu will not be coming. Moropant requests Vahini Saheb to train Manu in household duties. The next day, Tatayaguru comes to meet Peshwa and requests him to allow Manu to resume her training. Rani Saheb tells Nana Saheb that henceforth he will ride an elephant. Manu is extremely disappointed as she is not allowed to take the elephant ride. She challenges Rani Saheb that one day she will have many elephants of her own.

Peshwa Bajirao gives Nana a dagger and asks him to gift it to Manu as a token of their friendship. Moropant shows Manu's horoscope to an astrologer who gets thoroughly impressed by the unique position of her stars. The astrologer tells Moropant that Manu will enjoy all pleasures and riches in her life. Meanwhile, Peshwa Bajirao along with his family decides to go for a dip at Ganga ghat. However, their dip and prayers are interrupted by Vaadrayan, a powerful and mighty Kanyakubj Brahmin from Bithoor, who detests Brahmins from other clans. Hearing Vaadrayan insult Peshwa further, Manu retorts and cites a versa from the Upanishads that states the real meaning of Brahminism.

Vaadrayana seething with anger vows to teach Peshwa Bajirao a lesson. Winston introduces the new Commissioner of Kanpur Sir Moreland who is accompanied by his wife. She had witnessed Manu give a witty answer to Vaadrayan, impressed by her, she gives Manu a gift. Meanwhile, the astrologer tells Moropant further that his daughter Manu will become a queen and will go down in history. Later, General visits Bajirao's court and warns him to avoid any confrontation with Vaadrayan. Manu is angered by this and decides not to offer prayers till the matter is resolved. Peshwa comes and pacifies her. He announces that Manu and others will take Indu's shagun to Kanpur. Meanwhile, in Jhansi, Maharaj Gangadhar Rao's coronation is in progress. However, he has more enemies in his court and family than friends. Later, Gangadhar Rao tells his ministers to arrange for his trip to Kanpur to offer prayers.

A priest advises the Peshwa not to go to Kanpur for his daughter Indu's 'shagun' ceremony as the British forces have amassed there. As Gangadhar distributes items for popular welfare prior to leaving for Kanpur to execute a religious vow, a sniper's arrow pierces his chest. The assailant, who sports Company attire, evades royal capture and makes the king's aides suspect that the assassin is a Briton. Later, Gangadhar's loyalists deem that he needs an heir and a caring wife to stabilise his rule.

The British officials, who regard Gangadhar as their puppet, discuss the ramifications of the attack on him. Gangadhar’s minister says that the king must beget an heir soon. Manu attacks the girl whom Nana is smitten by, thinking that she’s a British spy. But she proves her innocence. Moropant informs Manu about the conspiratorial natures of Lachchu Bai, Krishna Rao, Janki Bai, Ali Bahadur and Sakhu Bai, who comprise King Gangadhar's extended family.

The British officials, who regard Gangadhar as their puppet, discuss the ramifications of the attack on him. Gangadhar’s minister says that the king must beget an heir soon. Manu attacks the girl whom Nana is smitten by, thinking that she’s a British spy. But she proves her innocence. Moropant informs Manu about the conspiratorial natures of Lachchu Bai, Krishna Rao, Janki Bai, Ali Bahadur and Sakhu Bai, who comprise King Gangadhar's extended family.

An excited Indu, who awaits her to-be husband's arrival at Sarsaiya Ghat, is crestfallen on seeing that he is an old widower with two kids. Manu urges Indu to reject the alliance, which Vahini overhears. Though Maina Bai responds somewhat sympathetically to Manu's plea, Vahini furiously tells Moropant that Manu's rebelliousness could ruin Prachi's and Indu's futures. A calm Vahini later explains to Manu how marriages unite diverse families, that the groom's character is relevant and not his age.

An emotional Maina Bai convinces her child Indu not to resist marrying Shyam Rao. As Moropant thanks Vahini for pacifying Manu and she urges him to fix Manu's wedding, a heartless British official extracts tax from the Peshwa for staying in Kanpur. The sight of the Peshwa paying tax on native soil disturbs Manu. Meanwhile, King Gangadhar seeks a new treaty for an autonomous Jhansi from Captain Fraser, a British official. But the Britons ponder if the king has exploitable behavioural weaknesses.

Courtesan Moti Bai rejects a smitten Gangadhar's gifts for her given by his helper Khudabaksh. Astrologer Neelkanth Shastri mistakenly gives Manu's horoscope to Tatya Dikshit, an aide of Gangadhar, and recommends Vadrayan's child Vaishali for Gangadhar. Gangadhar's black commandos set up his meet with Moti Bai, during which he lauds her musical skills and tries to win her heart. At a mela, as Manu sees Vaishali's anklet with Nana, a quarrel erupts between Tatya Tope and bigoted British horsemen.

Vahini takes Manu away from the mela to Sarsaiya Ghat though she is keen to punish the Britons for insulting Tatya Tope and an old man. She confronts British officials for violently mistreating natives though Vahini had told her that they are helpless British slaves. At the mela, as a joust begins between George, a British cavalryman, and Nana, Nana's initial successes lead to British trickery, which causes his loss. But Manu bravely continues the contest, stunning all, including Tatya Dikshit.

Even as Gangadhar woos Moti Bai in a royal manner and wants her to join his dance school, a wounded Manu defeats George. As George and his colleagues flee the site of the joust, scores of patriotic villagers stop them. Nana asks them to fulfil their bet, but George refuses to do so. Though Tatya lets him go scot-free, Manu, with popular backing, makes George place a turban on the old man's head and honour him as promised. Vahini fears ruthless British vengeance for Manu's daring.

Gangadhar tells Mr Fraser that a new treaty for Jhansi's autonomy is needed. As Tatya Dixit lauds Manu's exploits and says she is fit to become Jhansi's queen without uttering her name, Gangadhar wrongly deems he is talking about Moti. On being told about some British officers' arrival, Shyam Rao stops a nautch, after which they lash him so that he reveals Manu's identity. In Bithur, the Peshwa invites the locals to a feast to mark Indu's coming marriage and flings precious items out of delight.

Vaishali and her sister Kanta inform their father that they possess the peshwaship's gold coin. Vadrayan's fury heightens when his aide Dhrupad insinuates that Vaishali is smitten with Nana. At the Peshwa's 'Brahmabhoj' ceremony, Vadrayan urges other Hindu monks to abstain from eating the food and curses the Peshwa that he would lead a discredited life. A face-off ensues at the Peshwa's durbar between British troops and the peshwaship's forces when the Peshwa refuses to hand over Manu to them.

Though the Peshwa is determined not to hand over Manu to the British, Moropant brings her to the durbar and lets Commissioner Wilson arrest her for an interrogation. Moropant's selfless gesture for the sake of the peshwaship's stability attracts the gratefulness of pro-Peshwa forces. Taken to a dungeon by the British, Manu witnesses the British brutalities on Indian inmates. As Geoff Gordon is about to whip her, Captain Manson stops him and says that only the law has the right to punish her.

In a dungeon, Manu sees the ghastly treatment meted out to Indian prisoners, including landlord Shyam Rao. Manson hopes that the sight of the brutalities in prison would weaken Manu to such an extent that she would reveal to him the technique of making her special explosive arrows. Manu, who is inspired by the patriotic fervour of the detainees, promises to reveal the technique, but in exchange for the detainees' freedom. As the detainees are freed, a worried Moropant seeks to enter the jail.

Manu runs away from the British officials and allied native troops, threatens to commit suicide in jail, and refuses to reveal how to make her arrow bombs, which stuns Manson. Vahini urges the Peshwa to devote more attention to Indu's wedding and the guests. Manson, who is worried about the political fallout of Manu committing suicide, is told about Moropant's presence outside the jail. Nana and Tatya Tope inform Lady Moreland about Manu's imprisonment after Prachi counsels her father to do so.

Despite Harold Moreland's objection, his wife Christina gets an order for Manu's release from the Governor-General of India. Manson mistreats Moropant inside the jail and hopes that it would compel Manu to reveal her arrow-bomb's intricacies. Appalled by it, Manu reveals how to make the arrow bomb. She informs her humiliated father that the Indian patriots' mistreatment by the British is far worse. As Christina, Nana and Tatya see the blood-soaked jail cells, Manu prepares to use the arrow bomb.

After Manu detonates the arrow bomb, Manson's delight is short-lived as Christina enters the prison and gives him the Governor-General's order for Manu's release. Moropant explains to Tatya why Manu revealed the arrow-bomb's secrets. Later, as preparations are on for Indu's wedding, an enraged Vahini prevents Manu from entering the Bithur palace until she undergoes purification. But Christina resolutely defends Manu and says that Manu's heroism would have been lauded by British society.

As Vahini conducts Manu's purification, she is prevented from losing her balance by Christina, which leads to Vahini purifying herself. The Peshwa stops Vahini's vicious tirade against Manu's character by recounting the bravery of Bharat's female warriors. Later, the Peshwa urges Nana to toughen up psychologically and get inspired by Manu's courage. As preparations are on to worship nine girls in the lead-up to Indu's wedding, the Peshwa's assertion that Manu be one of those girls angers Vahini.

The Peshwa worships a glum Manu during the 'Kanya Puja', much to Vahini's unease. Manu eats a morsel of food as a mark of respect for the puja. Vaishali's mother meets Manu outside the puja venue and lauds her bravery even while lamenting the society's patriarchy. As Vaishali searches for Kanta in the palace and gets lost, Nana flirtatiously helps her. As Nana is about to leave for Kanpur with Indu's 'shagun' for Shyam Rao, the latter's aide tells them that Shyam Rao doesn't wish to wed Indu.

Shyam Rao's aide blames Manu for the cancellation of Indu's marriage. When Vahini condemns Manu's character, Nana says that he is equally culpable for Indu's plight. When the Peshwa absolves Manu, Vahini roars that Manu can return to the palace after undergoing purification. As Manu ponders Vahini's hurtful comments and sees Goddess Durga's idol being readied for 'Durga Saptami', Tatya Tope urges her to use her coming purification as a springboard for becoming an anti-British revolutionary.