Without Clive Clarke, who is recovering in hospital after suffering two heart attacks during the Foxes' abandoned midweek Carling Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, and without a manager, they showed superb resilience in the face of Argyle's first-half aggression.
Having weathered that storm, the forced their way back into an intriguing contest which ended even, with both sides spurning chances to sneak the three points.
Leicester's caretaker-management team of Jon Rudkin, Steve Beaglehole and Mike Stowell made one change to the side that had thumped Watford 4-1 seven days previously, with Joe Mattock replacing the recuperating Clarke.
Pilgrims manager Ian Holloway recalled goalkeeper Luke McCormick, Hungarian centre-back Krisztian Timar and in-form striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
And it was the former Manchester United forward who went as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock, when Argyle's two other Hungarians, Peter Halmosi and Akos Buzsaky, linked a move that ended with Ebanks-Blake extending Marton Fulop with a drive from the edge of the penalty area.
With Dutch defender Marcel Seip playing well, Leicester had few opportunities before the break, their best chance falling to right-back Bruno N'Gotty, who blasted a shot across the Argyle goal with McCormick beaten.
It was not until the second 45 minutes, when Leicester had replaced the disappointing strike pair of Mark De Vries and Dudley Campbell, that the visitors began to mount a sustained threat.
Centre-back Gareth McAuley headed just over from substitute Levi Porter's free-kick and Iain Hume, who had started to cause problems when he moved up front, had one shot that was not far wide.
Argyle nearly nicked the three points at the end when substitute Rory Fallon stooped towards Lee Hodges' low left-wing cross, but the New Zealander failed to make contact and Argyle had to settle for their first goalless game for 43 matches.