Set in the early 1960s in a large Indian city. The story of three orphaned children, the eldest of whom, Debu, is twelve years old. Debu does his best to earn money so that his brother and sister do not become homeless vagrants. With the help of kind people, Debu manages to provide for his brother and sister, as well as himself.

A woman's marriage is filled with upheaval and conflict, but she makes many compromises for the sake of her struggling family. How will she react to her husband's ultimatum, that she must choose him and his family over her own, otherwise he would take their daughter and leave forever?