In director Bimal Roy's adaptation of the Saratchandra Chatterjee novella, a poor clerk named Gurucharan must take a high-interest loan from his greedy and powerful neighbor Nabin Rai. Meanwhile, Gurucharan's lovely niece Lalita has grown closer to Nabin Rai's son Shekhar. When a rich, handsome visitor arrives, he strikes a deal that will mean salvation for Gurucharan but misery for the young lovers.