Unni marries Devaki in a traditional arranged marriage and brings her into the fold of his Namboothiri illam. Bound by a plethora of traditional beliefs, customs and rituals that constitute life within four walls of the joint family, and also consumed by his commitment to not hurt others by going against any tradition, Unni is unable to be the husband that he would have liked to be. Yet, Unni and Devaki understand and love each other immensely and silently. Guarded by the fortress of tradition, the family remains oblivious to the winds of change sweeping through society. Though Unni is aware, he shuts the door to everything that his family will never be able to comprehend or accept. But Devaki, who is essentially of a different mould, longs to step out into the world — and is finally forced to do so.
Set in early 1930s, the story develops within walls of a Namboothiri Illam, in the South Indian state of Kerala, against the backdrop of the struggle for freedom from the British rule. The film opens in Haridwar, a holy city, where Thankam, Unni's younger cousin sister [Unni's father's younger brother's daughter (Apfan's daughter). Since Unni's late father was the eldest son in that Namboothiri family, he could marry a Brahmin woman. So Unni's mother was Namboothiri. Only the eldest could marry, and other sons of Namboothiri household could only have "sambandham"s with non-Brahmin women. So Thankam's mother was Nair] has come to immerse Unni's ashes in the Ganga and trace Devaki, who now is an ascetic. The story is revealed through the reminiscences of Thankam, a mute spectator who is caught between these characters and the complexities of their relationship — complexities that can never be relegated to the realms of right and wrong.
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