Sakthi, Kamal Haasan, returns to his rural homeland in Theni with his westernized girlfriend, Bhanu, Gautami Tadimalla, in tow. The plan is simple on the surface: he intends to open a chain of restaurants in Madras and marry Bhanu. But his father, Periyasamy Thevar, Sivaji Ganesan, a respected village chief, has his own hopes for his son. He envisions Sakthi using education and opportunity to uplift local residents, and the clash between modern ambitions and traditional duties sets the tone for a village torn by a long-running feud.
The village is divided by families and loyalties, most notably Periyasamy Thevar’s feud with Mayan Thevar, a rival whose resentment fuels a cycle of mistrust and violent acts. Mayan’s relentless scheming to outdo Periya Thevar narrows the community’s focus to old wounds and new grievances, with Muthuvel, the elder son, burdened by drink and indifference. The political and social strain seeps into every corner of life, leaving the villagers wary of any gesture that might seem to favor one side over the other. The tension reaches a fever pitch when Sakthi and his friend Isakki, Vadivelu, discover an old temple built by Sakthi’s great grandfather—an artifact valuable not just for its heritage but for what it represents: the possibility of shared respect despite the feud.
Access to the temple becomes a flashpoint. Mayan’s faction tries to keep the temple closed as a symbol of his power, while Sakthi argues for opening it to all as a matter of justice. Isakki’s act of breaking the seal triggers a violent clash between the two sides, and the fallout is brutal: Isakki loses his arm to punishments meted out by Mayan’s men. In a bid to de-escalate, Periyar Thevar considers apologizing to his rivals, but Sakthi pushes for accountability rather than concession. He journeys to the station to drop Bhanu off, only to witness the riot erupting anew as he returns. The situation worsens when Mayan’s men severely mutilate Isakki, prompting Sakthi, with his father’s cautious blessing and the support of his friends in the government, to take a calculated step and legally reopen the temple for all.
This act of defiance provokes Mayan to unleash a calculated attack on the village’s infrastructure. Goons blow a dam that protects a part of the village, flooding homes and causing the deaths of many, including infants. The disaster devastates Sakthi, who tracks down the man responsible and hands him over to the police. Yet the confession never comes, as the frightened man refuses to name Mayan for fear of retribution against his own family. The catastrophe shifts Sakthi’s priorities. He begins to see the broader human toll of the feud and chooses to stay in the village with Maya Thevar, hoping to mediate and protect those caught in the crossfire.
Weeks pass, and Mayan leverages his influence to squeeze a poor villager into closing a portion of his land, turning a significant route into a longer trek for everyone who needs to pass. Sakthi and his father convene a panchayat to address the standoff, but the accusations fly thick and fast with little evidence to back them up. When the elder Periya suffers a heart attack and dies in his sleep, the balance of power shifts decisively. Sakthi steps into the role of village chief in a moment of collective grief and resolve, determined to steer the community toward peace and progress.
The land dispute lingers, and Paramasivam, the wary landowner, fears Mayan’s retaliation enough to keep his daughter Panchavarnam from marrying the man she loves. Sakthi works to restore trust, offering a path to reconciliation that also preserves the family’s dignity. He arranges a marriage between Panchavarnam, Neelima Rani, and a Madurai engineer to secure open land access for the village. The arrangement satisfies many, but it is destabilized when the groom bolts at the last moment, driven by fear of Mayan’s reach. With her father’s blessing, Panchavarnam’s alliance shifts, and Sakthi steps forward to marry her himself, even as his heart lingers with Bhanu.
Bhanu, who has watched the changes with a mix of sadness and understanding, returns to learn of Sakthi’s decision. She accepts the reality of his new life and steps away, leaving Sakthi to begin a household with Panchavarnam. The couple’s early days are shaken by a narrow escape from a drive-by attack, a reminder of how fragile peace can be when violence still holds sway in the village.
As the temple celebrations approach, the government’s HR&CE department insists on honoring the first respect rule. Muthuvel’s ineligibility due to his drinking becomes a political symbol for Mayan, who argues he should be the rightful heir. Sakthi makes a symbolic sacrifice, stepping back from the first respect to maintain peace, but Mayan rejects this gesture and taunts him openly, predicting the end of Sakthi’s life. The tension culminates in the temple chariot festival, where a bomb placed by Mayan results in more deaths and a renewed thirst for vengeance on both sides.
Sakthi rises to protect the innocent families who have no stake in the feud but who stand to lose everything. He helps them escape and, in a moment of candor, the villagers reveal Mayan’s hiding place. Sakthi confronts Mayan, pleading for surrender to the police to avoid further bloodshed. Mayan refuses and a brutal struggle ensues, during which Sakthi unintentionally beheads Mayan. The act shatters the village’s fragile balance, yet Sakthi refuses to let the crowd take the blame. He surrenders to the authorities and urges the community to maintain peace, to pursue education for all, and to let the law take care of justice. With that, Sakthi hands the village back to its people and accepts a future behind bars, leaving the leadership of the community in the hands of his sister-in-law.
In the end, the tale reveals how one family’s feud can fracture a community, and how a single choice—choosing education, reconciliation, and the rule of law over vengeance—can begin to stitch the wounds. It is a story of loyalty and ambition, of tradition colliding with modernity, and of a village's slow, stubborn arc toward unity, even as the memory of conflict lingers in every street and temple.
