Singh is a farmer and lives a poor lifestyle along with his wife, and two sons, Ram and Laksman. The region is drought stricken, while in contrast there is plenty of water being pumped to bath the dogs of Thakur Vikram Singh. When Ram decides to divert some water for their parched fields, Vikram kills his father. An enraged Ram goes to avenge his death, manages to kill Vikram's brother, but is seriously injured, loses his memory and ends up with a gang of bandits and is renamed Thanedar Singh as he was dressed in the clothes of a police inspector. Lakshman gets separated from his mother and is found near a river bank by Police Commissioner Bhalla, who adopts him. Years later the two brothers are fated to meet again albeit as strangers and mortal enemies as Lakshman is a incognito CBI Officer, while Ram is dreaded bandit Thanedar Singh who is unable to recall his childhood, and loses control whenever he hears the sound of a water-pump.

Retired Judge Shyamlal Kumar lives in a palatial home with his wife and only son, Arvind, who is now studying law and is on his way to become a lawyer, and after that a judge just like his dad. Arvind meets with beautiful Asha Shastri, both fall in love and would like to get married. Asha introduces Arvind to her astrologer dad, Chintamani, who instantly approves of Arvind; while both Shyamlal and his wife give their blessings and approval to Asha. But when Chintamani, whose predictions always prove to be accurate, sees a dark future for the young couple, withdraws his blessings and asks them not to marry each other. Spooked by this, Shyamlal and his wife also ask Arvind to marry someone else. But both Arvind and Asha believe that nothing bad will befall them, and they start living together without getting married. This raises ire in their conservative community and both are blacklisted.

A successful office worker who is happily married has a brief affair with a sultry co-worker in this romantic melodrama. His wife eventually wins him back from his forbidden lover.