A 17-year-old widow, Unnimaya, who was married to an old man, is ostracized by the community. She falls in love with Madhavan, a Kathakali artist, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.

The story is set in the Pre-Independence orthodox Namboothiri Brahmin community. Widowed at 17, only three months after being married to an old man, a young Brahmin girl therefore has to live a life secluded from the world even though her marriage has not been consummated. An ambitious Kathakali artist seduces her, but out of cowardice, he finally refuses to recognize the baby born of their union. The young girl is excommunicated from her community but is helped by the progressive-minded son of her dead husband.—Soumitra