The movie follows the life and times of Sankara - the founder of the non-duality (Advaita) school of Indian philosophy.

Based on the Kannada novel Bara by eminent writer U. R. Ananthamurthy, the story deals with the politics of famine in Karnataka. An idealistic officer eventually succumbs to bureaucratic apathy - famine relief arrives, but too late. Simultaneously shot in Hindi as Sookha; that version was released in 1983.