Vanaja, the 15 year-old daughter of a financially troubled fisherman, goes to work in the local landlady's house in hopes of learning Kuchipudi dance. She does well, but when the landlady's son returns from the U.S., what begins as innocent sexual chemistry turns ugly, ending in the rape of a minor. Set in rural South India, a place where social barriers are built stronger than ancient fort walls, the film explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl struggles to come of age.