Guláb, son of the landowner of Devgáv village in Mahárásht.ra, India, wants a wife who knows how to have fun, and finds her in Bakul.á, a clever dancer in the folk theatre. His horrified parents convince him to marry Kamal.á instead, because only respectable girls are bred to support their husbands in hardship. Cousin Bál.yá, having lost the court battle over the land, tries to make a conquest of Bakul.á, and Guláb makes a bold move to protect her. How Bakul.á asserts her dignity and Kamal.á makes peace with her fate is the subject of this serious but entertaining film.