Virendra "Viren" Pratap Singh (Anil Kapoor) travels to Rajasthan with his governess, affectionately called Dai Jaa (Waheeda Rehman). He meets the beautiful Pallavi (Sridevi) and falls in love with her. However, she happens to be older than he is, though this does not bother Viren. During a property dispute and a court case, Pallavi's father dies of a heart attack. She is shattered and goes into isolation. At the wake, Viren goes to console her, when she runs past Viren—towards Siddhharth, the man she loves. Viren is heartbroken but, to fulfil Pallavi's father's dying wish, he arranges the wedding between Siddhharth and Pallavi. Allowing Pallavi to live her life happily, Viren leaves for London.
One year into the marriage, Siddhharth and Pallavi are killed in an accident. It is revealed that she was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a daughter. The girl is named Pooja and is kept in the care of Dai Jaa. Viren has a childhood friend, Prem (Anupam Kher), who knows that Viren's heart still pines for Pallavi. Over the course of time, and with much persuasion, slowly Viren hops back to reality by engaging himself in work in London. There, a girl named Anita (Dippy Sagoo), who works along with Viren, falls for him. She knows about Viren's love for Pallavi and constantly tries to gain his attention.
Viren visits Rajasthan from time to time, for Pallavi's death anniversary, and buys gifts for the young Pooja. He never spends any time with her though, which makes her sad. A few years later Viren returns from London and meets the grown up Pooja for the first time. When he meets her he is shocked to see that she looks exactly like her mother.
Pooja and Dai Jaa come to London for vacation, and there Anita discovers that Pooja is the image of Pallavi. This upsets her as she is afraid that Viren will eventually fall for Pooja. Pooja develops feelings for Viren whom she lovingly calls "Kuwarji". Prem also likes Pooja and understands that Pooja loves Viren. Though he likes the alliance, he is skeptical since Viren is still living in the past.
Later in the movie, Anita realizes that Viren is over Pallavi and has fallen for Pooja. There are scenes when Pooja and her coming face to face over the topic of Viren. She finally confronts Pooja with the utmost respectful way of saying "He's mine." There, eventually she insults Pooja as a kid infatuated by Viren and asks what relation Pooja is to Viren that she acts authoritatively over him. Pooja retorts back saying that if she is not related to Viren, Anita is not related to him either. This frustrates Anita leading her to lambaste Viren about having feelings for a younger woman.
Pooja finds a sketch (which Viren has made of her mother) and misunderstands that it is a sketch of her. She confronts him and he reveals to her that he had loved her mother and not her. Pooja is heartbroken and returns to India with Dai Jaa. Viren decides to marry Anita since he feels she is right and has been waiting for him for a long time. Pooja can't bear this and decides to get married only on the condition that Viren marries Anita first. Pooja never marries for her love for Viren was too great. Viren does not marry as well.
The resolution she took shows a heartbroken Pooja narrating a folk tale to audience in a village show. After the show, Viren approaches a confused and wary Pooja. Viren reveals that he realized, after she left London, that he loves her and not her mother anymore, who in fact had never had feelings for him. She runs into his arms and they are together at last.