Sandalwood and Jasmine follows a British Pakistani girl named Ayesha who feels detached after the death of her great grandfather, as she was never close to him. While her mother is consumed by grief, Ayesha struggles to understand her sorrow. Hoping to lift her spirits, the family decides to travel to Pakistan. During her stay, Ayesha comes across her great grandfather's diary and uncovers a hidden and forbidden love story from the time of the British Raj. The diary reveals the relationship between Omar Sheikh, a Muslim boy from an upper middle class family, and Veer Singh, a Sikh boy from a working class background, forever changing Ayesha's understanding of her family and its past.