Retired Ram Shastri is an upper-caste Hindu Brahmin who lives in a small Indian village and has a huge family which consists of his wife, Savitri, five daughters and three sons. In order to maintain his family he usually conducts small religious rituals for a merger amount with this being the only means of survival for the family. Ram's eldest daughter, Shalini has an admirer, Ashok who wants to marry her but Ashok's village chief father, Jagannath Rao will not permit his son to do so forcing Ashok to leave the house and join the army. Shortly after Jagannath gets a letter stating that his son has been killed. Additionally, Ram values his principles more and thus with the advent of the new era people from the Hindu community refuses to have any doings with him which leads to suffering among his family members.