Chuyia (played by child artiste Sarala) is an 8-year old widow sent off to an ashram to pay for sins from her previous life.
Here, she meets women from three age groups -- 20-year old Kalyani (Lisa Ray), 35-year old Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) and 80-year old Bhagvati (Waheeda Rehman).