Hariram, though a poor labourer in a mill, at Gopipur, loved his wife, Bela, and son, Rattan, so well that he bestowed lavishly all the comforts of life on them even though it meant his remaining under debts to the village money lender.
Miseries sneaked into Hariram’s happy life when he lost his wife. He was so much grief stricken that he did not attend even his duties for constantly fiteen days, when he finally collected himself and went to the mill, he discovered that his services were terminated because of his absence from his duties.
Burdened by this news, and sad already because of his loss, Hariram was persuaded by Ram Bharose to seek forgetfulness through drinks and that night when Hariram reached his home, dead drunk, he found his son Rattan in tears. When he made enquiries he found out that the money lender, Bhola Seth, had beaten Rattan beacause Hariram had failed to pay his debts. Hariram, drunk and boiling with rage, visited the Seth; he would have killed hum but for the interference of Mukunda, the truck driver who himself was under debts to Bhola Seth. Hariram went away but threatening to kill Bhola Seth at the first opportunity.
That night, while Hariram slept drunk near where his beloved wife was creamted, Mukunda broke into Bhola Seth’s residence to steal his valuables and killed Bhola Seth when he caught Mukunda red handed.
Hariram who was heard threatening Bhola Seth was tried for murder. He was found guilty and was sent to Delhi jail to await the death sentence.
Poor Ratan was left alone to face the world and life. He did not know what to do, where to go and how to save his father. Ghaseeta, a pickpocket, who had seen Hariram lying drunk in the creamtion grounds on the night of the murder met Rattan by chance. Moved by the child’s sorrow he accompanied him to the police station but a pickpocket’s witness was not accepted.
Uneducated Ghaseeta, who either knew the Law or Pandit Nehru, decided to go to Delhi with Rattan to put the case to Pandit Nehru. Persuaded by his humane-nature and guided by the faith he held, he journeyed towards Delhi.
Mukunda, the theif of doubt and fear in his heart, followed the child and his precious witness to kill them before they could start the wheel of law moving for the real murderer.
Rattan’s journey to Delhi, the city of hope for the innocent child, his attempts to save his beloved father from an undeserved punishment is what completes this story of a child’s struggles against what appeared to be fate.
(From the official press booklet)