In a remote village in Odisha, poverty and illiteracy have fostered dependence on superstition. The villagers have mortgaged their land to the landlord Janrdhan, who forces many of them to become contract laborers and leave the village to earn a livelihood. The story revolves around two villagers, Haria and Bhamar, and Bhamar's daughter, Phoola, who become entangled in Janrdhan's greed and oppression.