The fate of a distraught father and his son, so poor and hungry that the last full meal they had was years ago. Exploited by the landlords & riddled with debts taken from the moneylenders, they often resort to stealing so as to satisfy their hunger pangs. A small rural household in post independence India. Madhav gets married and his beautiful wife Budhiya brings some order and good fortune in their miserable existence. She eventually gets pregnant and one night is writhing in agony because of labor pains. The father-son watch helplessly as they don’t even have enough money to arrange for a mid-wife. Budhiya dies a tragic death and Madhav & Ghisu go around begging so that they can perform the last rites.