"So with my trusty guide, and his loyal driver we entered into a world of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility". Accompanied by his companions Satya and Doya, Chambers embarks on a quest to uncover the truth surrounding Vedanta Resources attempts to explore Niyamgiri Mountain. Told stories of elephants and tigers on the mountain, Chambers is disappointed to discover that nothing in Orissa is at it seems.

"Most of the time I just couldn't understand what the hell was going on". As the intrepid group travels from place to place it becomes apparent that the hospitals and schools promised by Vedanta have either never appeared, or are locked and empty. One angry local man rants that whenever the villagers demand what they were promised the police come and arrest them, "we are just monkeys in the mountains". But the story from the local government and other locals is that Vedanta is changing their lives and eradicating poverty.

Rumours abound that a local leader of the opposition movement had been murdered by Vedanta, that they had hired local thugs as enforcement, and that people had been killed by the Bauxite-filled trucks. Whilst not initially believing these rumours, Chambers senses that the local population is fearful and that the atmosphere is tense and it becomes clear to him that "unwittingly, we were becoming mixed up in the information war". When Satya is seized by Vedanta, Chambers sees that his blind pursuit of the truth had endangered his new friends.

Cowboys In India is a refreshingly honest film that raises important questions about development and how often Western business overlooks local concerns in the name of progress, and profit.