Seethamma, who is in love with Chengan, a simple-minded fisherman, refuses to marry him without the approval of the villagers. Saddened, he takes an extreme step. It is a sequel to Chemmeen (1965).
The plot revolves around the personal turmoil faced by the parents of a child who is to be inducted into priesthood by a monastery. The boy who led a carefree life until now has been identified as having a deep understanding of religious philosophy and scriptures at a very young age by the priests of a holy shrine. They request the family to induct the boy into priesthood to which the grandfather of the boy readily agrees to; for, he himself had aspirations of joining the shrine in the past. The parents, though not keen on parting with their child are compelled to give in on the basis of the word given by the elders of the family.
This intimately-constructed drama traces the consequences of the tumultuous political and social changes that swept through India in the years since pre-Independence 1937.