In 1920, Harihar (Kanu Banerjee) with wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) and a 10 year old son, Appu (Pinaki Sengupta) moves to the holy city of Varanasi. Harihar earns his livelihood by reciting religious scriptures. Tragedy strikes when Harihar falls ill, collapses on the riverbank and dies. His wife Sarbajaya relocates with Appu to her uncle's village. Appu resumes his education at the local school. At the age of sixteen, Appu (Smaran Ghoshal) wins a scholarship and goes to Kolkata, leaving Sarbajaya alone. Appu enjoys his stay in the city, studying during the day time and working at a printing press at night. The distance between Appu and his mother grows. As time passes, Appu's visits to his mother get shorter and less frequent. This emotional distance goes unnoticed by Appu. One night, Sarbajaya expires. Appu grieves over his mother's death and leaves the village forever, going back to the city to live his own life.