The Pilgrims went into half-time with a comfortable lead after controlling the first 45 minutes and scoring through Emile Mpenza and Paul Gallagher.
However, the Welsh side showed renewed vigour after the interval and got themselves back into the game through Michael Chopra just after the hour.
They pressed hard for an equaliser but just came up short against determined defending from the home side.
Man of the match Mpenza, who had been the hero in the Pilgrims' previous encounter with Charlton when he scored a last-minute equaliser with his only touch of the game after coming on as substitute, had seen two shots saved by Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton before getting third time lucky.
He anticipated Rory Fallon's knock-down header to get the wrong side of Cardiff skipper Darren Purse and lift the ball over Heaton.
Barely had the home side's celebrations subsided when Gallagher made it 2-0. The on-loan Blackburn striker reacted first when Chris Clark's attempted cross hit the crossbar and rebounded out with Heaton stranded.
After the break, Cardiff were an entirely different proposition and deservedly claimed a goal when Wayne Routledge, making his debut on loan from Aston Villa, slipped fellow loan player Chopra in behind the Argyle defence.
The Sunderland striker was borderline offside but kept his composure brilliantly to round goalkeeper Romain Larrieu, hold off the challenge of ex-Bluebird Chris Barker, and slot the ball home.
Despite losing Heaton after a collision with his own defender, Roger Johnson, Cardiff gamely chased the draw.
The closest they came was when Gavin Rae fired over Larrieu's goal. Roger Johnson might have saved it for Cardiff at the last but his weak shot was comfortably saved by Larrieu.