Salawati is the story of 12-year-old Singaporean-Malay girl, Wati who has just witnessed the death of her older brother. Her life intersects with a group of Indian couriers and a troubled Chinese family, all of whom seem to have played some role the boy’s death. Wati’s mother tries to hold the family together, while her father struggles to control his misdirected anger.

Based on a novel by Hindi writer Kamleshwar Prasad Saxena, it centers on a love triangle between two men and one woman on the margins of society.

In the remote outskirts of Manorva village, Rukhiya, Phekan, and their son Karimana live on society's margins, enveloped by the haunting melodies of Kirtan prayers. Phekan, a humble laborer, struggles against poverty, while resilient Rukhiya tenderly nourishes their child despite scarce resources.