Sanyogita a young girl is married into a Rajput family in Rajasthan India.
On the way to her new home disaster strikes when her husband, Ranbir Singh is
arrested by the police for an alleged murder. Time passes and Sanyogita struggles
to adjust to the new household, especially her mother-in-law. If it is difficult
for Sanyogita to make new adjustments, her mother-in-law in turn does not find
it an easy task getting used to another personality in her own home. Moreover she
holds her daughter-in-law responsible for the ill luck which has befallen her son.
At the trial court Sanyogita has her first insight into the on going feud in which
her husband is actively involved. She realises that her husband is a raw and rough
kind of personality. She feels lonely and a wistful melancholy mood descends on her.
Bheru, is a wandering, gaduliya lohar(gypsy blacksmith) engaged by her mother-in-law to
sharpen the rusty knives and make some kitchen utensils. Bheru senses the loneliness of
the young girl. The fantasy of having sex with her develops in his mind. Thus he tries
to make contact with her. Sanyogita in turn does not guess his intention at first. She finds
in him a sympathetic worker who appears acquainted with her familial problems and with whom she
can make some unpretentious small talk.But Bheru gradually gathers courage and confronts her
with his emotions. Sanyogita is shocked by this raw and physical display of lust but at the same
time finds her own self almost yielding to it. This upsets her and she decides to meet her husband
in the police lockup and thus make a wilful effort to develop an affection towards him. In
a way she senses the danger in letting her emotions take a free will. But the meeting with her husband is a
disappointment and she realises that his engagement in a male world does not allow her much scope for interaction.
Meanwhile Ranbir Singh and his relatives plan out a further strategy in order to get even with the thakur
(landlord) whom they blame for their predicament. The thakur has been able to enlist the
help of the local police inspector to arrest Ranbir Singh for the murder of his relative - Hari Singh. The
physical interrogation of a witness has yielded the needed evidences for the official trial, besides the
information of Ranbirs whereabouts which had been required for his arrest.
The assassination attempt on the landlord, carried out by amateurs does not succeed and the relatives come home
dejected. They find their mother in a stuporous sleep obviously caused by the overdose of alcohol and request
Sanyogita to prepare some tea. Sanyogita goes to the out house to collect some fire wood. Meanwhile one of the
relatives comes hurriedly to the haveli and
informs the forlorn lot that the thakur and his
men are on their way here. Tired, confused and frightened as they are, the men panic and without really caring
for the women in the house, make a quick getaway. Unaware of this development Sanyogita enters the compound of the
haveli with wood in her arms only to see the thakur and his men entering with their jeep. The men alight
swiftly and run into the haveli searching for the male members of the family. Two of them catch hold of
Sanyogita before she can react. The thakur comes up to her and lets the barrel of his gun run down her
face and to her breast. For a moment he appears to contemplate the young and beautiful wife of his arch enemy.
What would he do? Then, for some reason he turns away and moves off. The men get into their jeep and move off.
Sanyogita, shocked and bewildered, runs back into the house. Bheru who is on his way to work is in time to see
the jeep with the men moving off. Curious, he makes his way inside the haveli . A weeping Sanyogita now
sees him, and the turbulent unrest within her, allows her emotions a free run. She hugs Bheru. It is a moment he
had waited for. Passions surge.
Before leaving Bheru asks her if she would marry him. Sanyogita is amused -I am
married - Is this a marriage? Bheru asks cynically. The idea of remarrying, of marrying a low caste is so
frightening for her. What would her family say? What would everyone say? The mother-in-law staggers to her feet, slowly
returning to her senses and she sees Bheru coming out of the women's quarters with Sanyogita at the window. Bheru notices
the mother-in-law's presence and exits giving her a triumphant smile thereby. Contempt and loath are written on the
mother-in-law¹s face as she now glances at Sanyogita. She has understood. For Sanyogita, in turn, the message is clear.
Bheru and Sanyogita are together on a camel in the desert. She is free, free at last to do what she wants. However, she
is unaware of the fact, that her husband has managed to release himself from jail and return to the haveli .