Due to the recent floods, their land had been washed away, and Sornam now lives in poverty with her adolescent daughter and two children.

However, he ends up testifying against Sornam's husband, Murugappan, an innocent man, who is now convicted of murder charges and jailed due to Vairavan's perjury.

The following day, he overhears a conversation between Sornam and Murugappan's lawyer, realizing he is responsible for sending his brother-in-law to prison falsely.

Overcome with guilt, Vairavan throws away all the money he received for his perjury into the Sanikulam, an atonement pond where people seek forgiveness for their sins.

Singaram, a wealthy landlord and widower, offers to help Sornam but expects sexual favors in return.

Unable to find a job in the village, he starts stealing from the devotees' offerings at the Sanikulam, where he befriends Rukku and eventually falls in love.

With the meager income and Rukku's guidance, they start a cottage unit to manufacture savory snacks, which Vairavan markets on his bicycle.

During the marriage procession, a relative who had previously asked Sornam to marry her daughter to him as his second wife attacks the groom and disrupts the ceremony.