Kabli Pulao follows the story of Haji Mushtaq, an upright man from Lahore, and Barbeena, an Afghan girl in need. Haji Mushtaq, a 51-year-old Muslim Punjabi bachelor, leads a simple life until he meets Barbeena. He goes to Mardan for a religious tour where he meets her during his stay in a masjid, when her brother asks him to protect her by marrying her, as she is a widow and the brother of her deceased husband wants to marry her forcefully.
