Set between 1945 and 1951 in the pre-Independence state of Hyderabad, the film tells the story of a young peasant, Ramiah, who rebels against the corrupt rule of the Nizam. Baring witness to the oppression and hardship faced daily by those around him, Ramiah leaves his village. However, after befriending a Marxist activist and participating in the Independence struggle, he eventually returns to wage guerilla warfare against the landlord class.

In pre-Partition Bengal, Kuber, a poor fisherman struggles to survive along the wild Padma River. While navigating an affair with his spirited sister-in-law, Kuber becomes entangled with Hossain, a charismatic trader recruiting desperate villagers to settle on the isolated island of Moynadeep.

A father encourages his daughter to marry a dying man in order to inherit his wealth.