"The Thaw Asiatic Expedition presents INDIA. Produced by Lawrence Copley Thaw. In the new Magnacolor. Copyright MCMXL. Trans Asia, Inc. All Rights Reserved"

The film begins with a short text celebrating India's cultural splendour. A map accompanied by the narrative outlines the route the expedition will take.

Patiala, Punjab. The Thaws attend a polo match in which the Maharaja plays. One of the Maharaja's Sikh officers prepares his hair and turban for the Maharaja's birthday durbar. Scenes at the Maharaja's durbar. He greets his brother and receives silver rupees. The diamonds he is wearing have rarely been filmed before. The Rajput State of Jaipur. The Thaw convoy parks up in front of the palace. The band of the Sawai Man Footguards plays during the guard mount ceremony at the palace. More scene of the military parade. The Hawa Mahal, or Hall of the Winds. A wedding procession. An elephant trip to Amber. Peggy and Larry (Thaw) meet the Maharaja of Jaipur (His Highness Sawai Man Singh II) in his Palace grounds. Peggy meets the Maharaja's children. Baroda. A birthday durbar for His Highness the Gaekwar of Baroda (Pratap Singh Rao). A silver and gold carriage and cannon. Peggy chats with the Gaekwar on the palace lawn. Jodhpur. View of the city. The fort. His Highness the Maharaja of Jodhpur (Umaid Singh) wearing the uniform of Air Commodore gets into an American Lockheed plane. (VT-AJ?) Pig-sticking. Bikaner. A ticker ceremony in which the son of the heir apparent is betrothed to an Indian princess, January 19th 1940. Major-General His Highness Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh Bahadur at Ganga ? Hall . Soldiers on guard outside the palace during the gala. Portrait of His Highness's staff. He leaves by car. Shot of Larry behind the camera filming the wedding procession of His Highness of Bikaner's granddaughter to the heir apparent of Udaipur. The procession includes various military bands. The bridegroom sits on a solid silver seat. The wedding gifts are displayed, they include silver carriages, modern cars, jewellery and saris. A military display. The Bikaner Camel Corps. A fire dance is performed. State banquet given by His Highness, in attendance is his new grandson-in-law the heir of the House of Udaipur. Peggy sits next to Bikaner's heir apparent and the young Maharaja of Modur ? is only ten years old. His Highness of Jaipur, His Highness of Bikaner's grandson, the Maharaja of Jodhpur and the Maharaja of Wakaner (Amarsimhji Banesimhji ?). The Taj Mahal. Banares and the River Ganges. Pyres burning on the river banks. Hindus bathing in the river. Fakirs on the banks of the Ganges. A fakir eating glass. A battle between a cobra and a mongoose. Snake charmers. The expedition travels on to the foothills of the Himalayas and Assam. Peggy goes on a hunting trip but doesn't catch anything. Peggy and Larry have tea. A meeting with a group of Bhutanese who have come down from the mountains to trade. Reference to the Bhutanese ruler Prince Jigme Wangchuk. A Tibetan Lama wearing a gold lacquer hat. Another tiger hunt, in which Peggy gets her tiger. Back at the tent listening to the news on the radio, Larry cleans his rifle and Peggy types some captions sheets for the movie. The expedition moves on to Hyderabad. The Char Minar arch. The School of Fine Art at Osmania University. Osmania Hospital. The High Court of Hyderabad. Boy scouts. Washing clothes in the river. A Mosque. Cottage industries including fabric weavers supported by His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad (Fath Jang Mir Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII). Boys embroidering saris. The Golconda fortress and tombs. The Prince and Princess of Birah heir apparent of Hyderabad and his Turkish wife arrive at their palace in a Rolls Royce. Peggy is presented to the Prince in the gardens of their palace, Bella Vista. The youngest son in the company of his English nanny. Later Peggy and Larry meet the youngest son of the Nizam, Prince Musam Shah Bahadur ? They also visit the Hyderabad State Council, resided over by Sir Akbar Hyderi. Rajwan Bakadur ?, Mr Said Aziz ?, Nawaz Jung Bahadur are also present. The camp where Peggy and Larry spent a fortnight hunting in the Hyderabad forests with Mr and Mrs Ali Hyderi, son and daughter-in-law of Sir Akbar. Scenes around the luxurious camp. Peggy on another tiger hunt. The beaters are paid. From Hyderabad through southern India to the Madras. Madura. The great Hindu temple. Southward to Colombo, Ceylon. The Galle Face Hotel. The Colombo lighthouse in the city. Tea plantation. Coconut collectors. Kandy. The Temple of the Tooth. A troop of dancers. The ruined city of Anuradhapura with dagobas (relic shrines) and pokunas (tanks for bathing or water storage). The sacred bo tree or Pipal ? Back in southern India. Mysore. Mysore City. The Palace of His Highness of Mysore. Irowat, Sabu's elephant (motion picture star). Temples and statues. His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore (Krishnaraja IV Wodeyar) who was stricken with a heart attack in August 1940 (ie died since filming) examines the expedition's equipment. The Prime Minister of Mysore, Sir Mursa Ishmael, the diwansar ? The Krishnaraja Sagar dam and the Brindavan Gardens. Near the village of Shravana Belgola is the rock hill sacred to the Jains. The anointing of the colossal Jain saint Digambara Saint Gomatesvara. Crowds of people climbing the hill. Worshipers at the statue of Gomatesvara. Temporary village at the foot of the rock. The expedition convoy arrives on the waterfront at Bombay for the journey home. A map outlines the route followed. "The End. The Thaw Asiatic Expedition"

A travelogue following an American millionaire and his wife on their tour around India at the outbreak of the Second World War.