There are signs of progress at the outset of this drama: the village everyone lives in is soon to be included in the nation's electric grid. A boy and a girl have fallen in love with one another, and for once their parents (who are best friends) approve. The village council is headed up by a Brahmin who is a pretty decent man, and things look pretty good all around. Then the villagers can't agree on where the power lines are to go: anywhere they choose involves cutting down some much-loved trees. A girl dies in an abortion at the hands of a medical quack, and the young couple who are in love with one another are separated by their families, which have had a falling out. If that weren't bad enough, all sorts of other tragedies and mishaps occur.