Cardiff City conceded a late goal for the second successive home match and their hopes of automatic promotion are now hanging by a thread.
Leading scorer Robert Earnshaw put them ahead in the first half with his 24th league goal of the season and with Neil Alexander making several superb stops they held their lead until four minutes from time.
But with time running out a Paul Wotton free kick drifted through a crowded goalmouth and into the corner of the net for the equaliser.
Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock was delighted with his side's performance, claiming: "I feel justice was done tonight and it would have been a sin if we had come away with nothing.
"In fact on chances alone we should have collected all three points. I am very pleased for them but they are all disappointed in the changing room.
"If we had belief in ourselves we could achieve more in this division and tonight with their keeper as man-of-the-match it shows just how unlucky we were.
"To get anything out of Cardiff at Ninian Park you have to play with the right attitude, commitment and with a lot of hard work.
"Cardiff were a bit nervy and didn't play with the confidence they showed against us earlier in the season." Man-of-the-match Alexander was disappointed The Bluebirds didn't hold out for victory.
"We should be beating teams 1-0 and not conceding late goals but we are still there or thereabouts, and despite this setback still aim to win promotion automatically,†he said.
"We are giving away silly goals and making it really hard for ourselves. We don't seem able to capitalise on being in front and it means that even the slightest mistake makes us drop points." Cardiff boss Lennie Lawrence was frustrated with a performance that saw his side pushed further and further back as the match progressed "We are a bit brittle and lightweight in defence and find it difficult when we are bombarded by the opposition,†said Lawrence.
"We are having problems and cannot dominate games for long periods, as a result we are not keeping clean sheets.
"Our defending was too deep and in the end Plymouth deserved a draw but it was a dagger to the heart to concede so late.
"We need back to back wins pretty soon or we will be out of the automatic promotion reckoning."