Kamal Haasan plays Rajasekaran, a spoiled, impulsive young man from a wealthy family who happily rides the benefits of his mother's affection while continually testing his father's patience. He is a fearless member of a flight club, pulling off daring aerial stunts in his own aeroplane, and he treats life with a daredevil swagger that borders on reckless.
Sridevi portrays Devi, the beautiful air-hostess who catches Rajasekaran’s eye. When he makes his first blunt advances, she responds with irritation and a sharp rebuke, but the stubborn romance in him won’t let go. Rajasekaran is convinced that winning Devi requires maneuvering through social circles, and he discovers that Devi is an acquaintance of his friend Prathap Pothan, a realization that seems to offer him a convenient path to her heart.
Prathap Pothan, who plays Prathap, is more earnest about Devi and prefers to pursue her properly through marriage, not merely through schemes. He does not relish Rajasekaran’s persistence, and he holds his own feelings close, wary of the entanglement that Raj’s aggressive pursuit might cause.
Devi’s closest ally among the airline crew is Baby, a senior air-hostess played by Manorama. Baby isn’t shy about showing affection for Rajasekaran and uses her wit to help him stage a romance that might win Devi’s heart. Her plan involves stirring Devi’s jealousy by feigning attraction to another, and she enlists the help of Radha, a former air-hostess who has endured hardship and indignity after being deceived and harmed by a man. Sripriya brings Radha to life as a complex character caught between past pain and present needs.
Rajasekaran’s pursuit repeatedly clashes with Devi’s skepticism and family expectations. Devi’s elder brother Shankar, played by Jaishankar, and Devi’s family do not approve of Raj’s methods; they want a more respectful and stable courtship. Despite the pushback, Raj continues to press his case, while his friends—who sense the brewing trouble—watch with a mix of concern and loyalty.
Meanwhile, Sandhiya, a girl chosen by Rajasekaran’s mother for him to marry, enters the scene as a potential, respectable match. Ambika portrays Sandhiya, a gentle figure whose presence is meant to steady Rajasekaran, but fate has other plans. A startling misstep occurs when Rajasekaran meets Sandhiya and hallucinates she is Devi, leading him to accept an engagement he never truly intended. The next day, the truth hits hard as Sandhiya arrives and discovers he has mistaken the situation. Devastated, she contemplates despair, and Rajasekaran rushes to intervene, promising that he will marry her if saving her life means something in return. He also pledges not to marry anyone until she finds a better match for herself.
Sandhiya’s wedding is set, and she invites Devi to attend. Devi, tied to her own complicated feelings for Rajasekaran, also attends, creating a tense confrontation that leaves Devi furious at Rajasekaran’s behavior. Rajasekaran’s friends vow revenge for Devi’s sting, and the situation spirals as he takes to the skies in his plane, spiraling into despair.
Devi, still harboring complicated feelings, makes a desperate move to stop him and, in a pivotal turn, admits her love for him. Back on the ground, Prathap, unaware of the depths of their relationship, proposes to Devi, preferring to take a clear path to marriage rather than be entangled in ambiguous passion. Shankar’s perspective shifts as he witnesses the strength of their bond, and gradually the family comes to accept that Devi belongs with Rajasekaran rather than with Prathap, culminating in an engagement between Rajasekaran and Devi.
Yet more shocks follow. Devi learns that Sandhiya has been widowed; the truth about her late husband’s illness and the concealment of his condition by his family stings Devi, who curses the selfishness of men in the wake of the revelation. Rajasekaran’s health takes a drastic turn when he is hospitalized and diagnosed with terminal cancer, a secret kept from him and from many around him. Shankar, now a doctor, postpones the temple wedding citing horoscope concerns, a move that fuels Rajasekaran’s anger and fuels a sense of betrayal.
In a moment of raw emotion, Rajasekaran asks Devi to meet him at a temple to seal their union, but he coughs up blood and is rushed to the hospital by his ally Baby. The doctors reveal the terminal diagnosis, and the weight of mortality hangs over all their plans. Devi, who has walked a long road of hurt and hope, waits at the temple for Rajasekaran, only to see him absent and to watch him slip away from life.
In the midst of these events, Prathap’s unrequited love pushes him toward despair, even contemplating suicide after receiving the wedding invitation. Hearing talk of Devi’s love for Rajasekaran firm up in the background, Rajasekaran makes a heart-wrenching choice: he steps away from Devi so she can pursue a life with Prathap, while he seeks solace with Radha. Radha’s request for a lasting place in someone’s life pressures Rajasekaran, and he agrees to marry her, hoping to leave a mark on history as someone’s husband rather than a fleeting memory.
Devi, now married to Prathap, resolves to win Rajasekaran back in some way, while Baby and the others explain the gravity of Rajasekaran’s illness. The revelation forces Devi to rush to his side, hoping for a miracle. Rajasekaran’s parents arrive, and in a final, touching moment, he sees Devi as his wife and departs with a sense of peace, his life ending on a note of happiness found at last in the sight of the woman he loved.
