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.