Parasakthi

In Rangoon, Burma, Chandrasekaran, Gnanasekaran, Gunasekaran and Saraswati plan to travel to Madurai for Kalyani's upcoming wedding. War conditions make travel scarce and tickets hard to secure. The family hopes to reach in time to celebrate.

With a single wartime ticket available, Gunasekaran sets off for Tamil Nadu while the others wait. He leaves Rangoon on a perilous sea voyage toward India. The family remains divided as the conflict intensifies.

The ship fails to reach on time, and Kalyani's wedding to Thangappan goes ahead in Madurai. The brothers are not present to witness it. Kalyani discovers she is pregnant as events unfold amid wartime chaos.

On the day of delivery, Thangappan dies in an accident and Manickampillai dies of shock, leaving Kalyani destitute. Their house is auctioned off, and she begins selling food on the streets. The family’s future becomes precarious.

Gunasekaran, after months at sea, lands in Tamil Nadu and is robbed of his belongings while watching a dance performance. Reduced to poverty, he grows bitter about his homeland. He vows to survive by any means necessary.

Desperate, Gunasekaran pretends to be insane to earn a living and to keep an eye on Kalyani without exposing who he is. He moves through life unseen by those around him. Kalyani remains unaware of the stranger’s true relation to her.

A vagabond named Venu tries to molest Kalyani, but Gunasekaran intervenes and saves her. The act reinforces the protective bond he has with his sister, though she remains oblivious to his identity. The danger of their social world is ever-present.

Kalyani leaves Madurai and travels to Tiruchi, taking a job as a maid for Narayana Pillai, a blackmarketeer who also attempts to molest her. His wife protects her and she leaves the job. She continues to search for her vanished family.

Gunasekaran reaches Tiruchi and explains the misery facing him and his sister to Vimala, a wealthy woman. She offers shelter for a time as he resumes his search for Kalyani. He keeps his exact identity hidden for now.

As Japanese shelling intensifies in Burma, Chandrasekaran and Gnanasekaran return to India. Chandrasekaran reaches Tiruchi and becomes a judge, while Gnanasekaran loses a leg, begs for a living, and forms an association to reform beggars. The family’s paths begin to converge anew.

Kalyani reaches Chandrasekaran's palatial house seeking food but is turned away without recognition. She then goes to a temple where the pujari attempts to molest her. Frustrated and starving, she contemplates suicide while grappling with the fear of losing her child.

In court, Kalyani defends her act of infanticide as a desperate choice. The judge, Chandrasekaran, realizes she is his sister and faints upon the revelation. The hearing lays bare the social ills that have exacted a heavy toll on their family.

Vimala arrives and reveals that Kalyani's child survived, having fallen into her boat instead of the river. Gunasekaran is also brought to the same court for attacking the pujari; he explains the misfortunes that have shaped their lives and the necessity of his actions.

Kalyani and Gunasekaran are pardoned and reunited with Chandrasekaran. Gnanasekaran joins them, and Vimala and Gunasekaran decide to marry. The family inaugurates a welfare home for orphans to carry forward their legacy and help others in need.