Based on the novel of the same name by Sivasankari, it revolves around Vishali (Jaya Prada) and how her marriage to Kumar (Chiranjeevi) lasts only 47 days.

Actress Saritha comes to a small town to meet Vishali, whom she wishes to play in a film based on her life.

Vishali, a naïve and simple country girl, does not know French or English, nor has she ever stepped on foreign soil before.

Unbeknownst to her, Kumar is already married to a French woman, Lucy, a doctor, living on the top floor of the same house.

Kumar tries to convince her by telling her that he had married Lucy only for her money, which he eventually plans to take control of and then divorce her.

However, living in an unknown foreign land and not knowing anyone with whom she can communicate for help, she reluctantly plays along with Kumar who makes her act as his mentally deranged sister in front of Lucy.

Thereafter, Kumar forbids her from trying to talk to anyone and punishes her for attempting to escape once, by burning her palm on the stove, harassing her sadistically.

He even torments her mentally by taking her to watch a porn film and coerces her into sex to let her read a letter from her brother.

A Tamil-speaking pickpocket (Rama Prabha) sees Kumar abusing Vishali at a restaurant one day, and meets her privately to help her.

While completing the shoot of Ninaithale Inikkum (1979) at Singapore, R. Venkatraman of Premalaya Pictures expressed his desire to K. Balachander of producing a film made in foreign locations which have not been exploited by anyone yet.