Moondram Pirai

Bhagyalakshmi is involved in a car crash while returning from a party and sustains severe head injuries. She is rushed to hospital where doctors begin treating her, setting the stage for subsequent memory loss.

After the injuries, doctors diagnose retrograde amnesia and Bhagyalakshmi cannot recognize her own parents. Her mental state regresses toward that of a child, complicating the recovery process.

While still in treatment, Bhagyalakshmi is abducted and sold to the brothel madam. She is renamed Vijaya and kept under the madam's control, beginning a life she did not choose.

Cheenu arrives in Madras with an old friend and visits the brothel for services. Vijaya is sent to his room, and Cheenu realises she is still a child and pities her. He also learns that she comes from a cultured family and had been kidnapped into prostitution.

The next day, Cheenu pays the madam a large sum and takes Vijaya away, presenting it as a pleasure trip. He moves her to Ketti, where he works as a schoolteacher and protects her like a child.

In Ketti, Vijaya—now called Viji by Cheenu—forgetts her past and grows very close to him. He continues to treat her with care, shielding her from the memories of her former life.

Viji accidentally spills ink on Cheenu's documents, angering him and threatening their delicate trust. They quarrel briefly but ultimately reconcile, reinforcing their bond.

A local woodcutter named Natarajan lusts after Viji and almost assaults her. She escapes, and Cheenu, enraged, nearly kills Natarajan, but neighbours intervene after Viji reports the incident.

The wife of Cheenu's headmaster is attracted to him, but he does not reciprocate. This adds a tense social layer to the situation as they navigate their unusual relationship.

Viji's father Vedachalam launches a police search by publishing a newspaper advertisement for his lost daughter. A co-passenger who traveled with Cheenu and Viji from Madras to Ooty provides a lead that narrows the search.

Cheenu takes Viji to an Ayurvedic practitioner for a day of treatment. While he is away, police come to his house looking for Viji. The treatment proceeds, and the doctors care for her under the tense absence of Cheenu.

The treatment helps Viji regain memory of the accident and the treatment, but she forgets the period between her accident and recovery. Vedachalam learns someone has been taking good care of their daughter and decides to withdraw the police complaint.

With the police complaint withdrawn, the family begins a journey to Madras with Viji, hoping to reclaim their daughter and reintegrate her into the family life.

After the police leave, Cheenu runs after the car carrying Viji to the railway station, hoping to gain her attention. She cannot recognise him and misinterprets his action as madness. The train departs, leaving Cheenu heartbroken and alone.