Based in a small village, naive and simple-minded Brahman Kali, lives with his widowed stepmother and her son. He falls in love with Pushpavali, without realizing the wrath he will face from his stepmother and the community as she is of a lower-caste. He persists with his romance, and is asked to not only leave the house, but also the village. He and Pushpavali both travel to a distant kingdom that is presided over by a king and his learned but arrogant daughter. The princess, after hearing the melodious voice of Pushpavali, hires her to sing at her palace. In her quest to marry a man who is more intelligent than her, she will invite several scholars to compete against her. Kali, urged by a Sage, also enters this competition - the results of which will not only estrange him from Pushpavali, but also change his life forever.
