Boatman Gopi (Nageshwara Rao) ferries Radha (Savitri) every day across the Godavari river and falls in love with her although he is due to marry Gowri (Jamuna), a woman from his own class. Radha marries a rich man (Padmanabham) and later reappears as a widow. Her relationship with Gopi, which causes a scandal, is presented as a continuation of their relationship in a previous life, shown in flashbacks. The film established the reputation of its composer, Mahadevan, and his long-term collaboration with Athreya and Subba Rao, the latter remaking the film as Milan (1967) with Sunil Dutt and Nutan.
