Madhava is a loyal friend, servant, and cowherd to Hema and her father. He also performs in the local dramas, in which he portrays Shiva. Hema's father is a school teacher and a talented poet. However, since his classical poetry is no longer popular, he cannot find a publisher to print his poems. Even though Hema and Madhava love each other, neither realize this due to the societal divisions of caste and economic class present in their village. Hema is the first to realize her love for him, during a drama where she portrays Parvati, but suppresses her feelings owing to the social stigma.
One day, in order to pay for the wedding of Lalitha, Hema's elder sister, Madhava sells his cows and gives the money to Hema's father through a family friend, as a loan. When Hema's father hears what he has done, he gives Madhava his manuscripts to have them printed. Madhava goes to town to have them printed, however, when he returns, he sees Hema being taken away to an asylum. He learns about the incident which led Hema's current mental state, i.e., Hema's brother-in-law's attempted rape and Lalitha's death.
Madhava pretends to be mentally unstable and is admitted to the same asylum, where he goes through many hardships in order to save Hema. After stopping a guard from attacking her, he is falsely accused of attempted rape and is given shock therapy. He tries many times to help her regain her memory. When she finally does and realizes what he did for her, she wants to marry him after she is safely rescued. However, Madhava objects to her proposal as he is from the lower strata of society. Hema's fiancé, Sripathi convinces him to change his mind. Hema and Madhava finally unite.
