Kaalaiyan, the village chief, only submits to moral uprightness and justice. These beliefs cause him to disagree with Nattadurai, the rival village chief who prefers to rule by intimidation. Nattadurai hires Pattamal, a lawyer, to represent him when he attempts to extort land from an elderly man. When Kaalaiyan reveals the truth to her, Pattamal makes a deliberate decision to dismiss the case. Nattadurai attempts to attack Kaalaiyaan in a temple in a neighboring hamlet with some of his soldiers, but they are all destroyed.
Nattadurai joins the fight himself, but has a change of heart when Kaalaiyan refuses to attack him in front of his family. Kalaiyan’s world revolves around his sister, Thanga Meenakshi, whom he had to raise himself after their parents died. When she returns home after completing her education in the north, some members of their family feel that it’s time to get Meenakshi married, and they convey the same to Kaalaiyaan. Unsure of the suggestion, he consults with his sister about the idea, and she tells him that it’s his decision that matters the most to her.
When Kaalaiyan declines to attack him in front of his family, Nattadurai, who had originally decided to join the fight, changes his mind. Thanga Meenakshi, the sister Kalaiyan was forced to raise by himself after their parents passed away, is the center of his universe. Some family members decide it’s time to get Meenakshi married when she returns home after completing her studies in the north, and they tell Kaalaiyaan as much. He talks to his sister about the suggestion because he is unsure of it, and she informs him that her support will primarily depend on his choice.