Raghupathy Raghavan Rajaram (1977), is a family drama woven around three brothers born to a Gandhian father. Raghupathy, the eldest (played by Vijayakumar), is a principled police officer who lives by duty and integrity. Raghavan (played by Ramkumar), the middle brother, is reckless and lust-driven, while Rajaram (played by Jayachandran) is a carefree youth who roams the country on his motorcycle.

Their lives intersect with Valli (played by Sumithra), an innocent village girl. Raghavan betrays her trust by assaulting her, leaving her devastated and her grandfather dead from grief. Unaware of his brother's crime, Raghupathy takes Valli into his home, offering her shelter and the hope of marriage. Meanwhile, Rajaram, who once lost his heart to Valli during his travels, also seeks to marry her. Veeraiyan (played by Rajinikanth), Valli's cousin, a man who loves his cousin but steps aside when he learns she loves another man. When he discovers she has been wronged, he vows to bring the culprit, dead or alive.

When the truth comes to light—that the very man who destroyed Valli's life is one of their own brothers—the family faces an impossible moral dilemma. The climax builds to the haunting question: the one who offers her a future, the one who ruined her life, and the one who gave her his heart—who will Valli finally marry?