In Calcutta at the turn of the century, two families (one wealthier than the other but both belonging to the same caste) live in adjoining properties. Their respective patriarchs fall out over the repayment of a loan and the intervention of a member of a lower caste in the families' financial arrangements. The rift causes much heartache to the younger members of the families, two of whom have secretly plighted their troth to each other.
Shankar lives in a remote village in rural India with his mother and sister, Manju, and drives a horse-carriage for a living. The main employer in the region is a kind-hearted businessman Maganlal. When Maganlal announces that he would like to undertake a religious pilgrimage, his son, Kundan, takes over and wants to cut back on labor and mechanize the business - thus leading to loss in jobs
Gauri, an orphan, is falsely accused of theft and lands up in a reformatory run by Ashok. Due to her rebelliousness, she gets into trouble. But, gradually she comes into her own with Ashok's help.