Ashok lives with his mother Anjali in a Bombay flat. He is mesmerized by the gory picture of the goddess Kali that Hirabai the new servant has brought with her. Anjali has inherited a wrenching mental illness from her father. Mira knows the horrors of her husband's illness, his devastating suicide and the poverty she had to battle to raise Anjali. Determined that Anjali will marry well despite her illness she forces her into an arranged marriage with Samir, a computer programmer with good prospects. The marriage however is doomed from the start as Anjali has loved Daryl, an artist who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. After his divorce from Anjali, Samir moves to the United States and marries his girlfriend Karen. Anjali thinks constantly of Daryl and has nightmares about the baby she had with Daryl but lost through a miscarriage. Consequently she loves Ashok with a fierce possessiveness. Ashok finds release in playing chess, but is bullied by a classmate who demands increasing sums of money for the privilege of playing the game. Ashok starts stealing and is frightened when he thinks the goddess is watching him. In his mind the goddess morphs into the powerful black queen on the chessboard, who then morphs into his mother Anjali. HIrabai watches Anjali's frightening moods and is convinced that she is mad, but she stays on the job knowing that the goddess will always protect her. Yearning to see the son that he left behind, Samir calls Anjali demanding that Ashok visit him in Los Angeles. Distraught at the prospect of Ashok going away, but unable to leave the city or resist Mira's insistence that Ashok visit his father, Anjali finally relents and lets Ashok go. Ashok lives a very different life with his father, where he is permitted to read late into the night, where no one hovers over him all day or checks his every move. With his father Ashok explores books and plays chess. He realizes that life like chess is a game where people try to outdo each other, seeking different moves in order to win. He is now able to stand up to the class bully on his return to Bombay. Ashok visits his father every summer, returning to the claustrophobic life in Bombay with his mother. With Mira's help he learns to care for Anjali during her draining illnesses. However he is saddened and depressed by Mira's sudden death that leaves him solely responsible for Anjali. Unable to visit his father he continues communicating with him, much against Anjali's wishes. Anjali becomes friendly with Jayant Gune a chemist, who though he loves Anjali refuses to marry her because of her mental illness. With his father's encouragement Ashok applies to schools in the United States. Relieved that Jayant is willing to assume the responsibility of looking after Anjali and excited about starting a new life, Ashok finally decides to leave. On the eve of Ashok's departure, Anjali fires Hirabai, who warns Ashok of impending danger and leaves with the goddess' picture clutched in her hand. Anjali cooks Ashok's favorite dish of crab curry while the voices in her head get louder and more demanding. In Los Angeles Samir is eagerly awaiting his son's arrival when he gets an urgent call from Jayant, informing him of the tragic turn of events. He falls to the floor in a dead faint. The game is over.