10 year old
Sampath, a Sinhalese Boy, born to a rich family, is mentally
disturbed due a to lack of parental love and care from the
infancy. His mother walked out of the family home when he was
a few years old. He doesn't talk to anyone and lives a
solitary life of this own.
He has a habit of
smashing and breaking things in the house when he gets
disturbed. His father believes that everything can be solved
with money. He spends generously on all the comforts and
expensive toys for Sampath, but ignores the most important
thing, which is parental love and attention for the
child.
Sathya, an 8 old Tamil girl, comes to work
as a servant in the house. She is the daughter of Velu, the
longest serving domestic employee of the family. Sampath is
attracted to Sathya's innocent and joyful childish behavior.
Gradually they become friends, much to the annoyance of
Sampath's racist father. Sampath begins to pick up words
from Sathya snd he is soon speaking Tamil. His father wants
to break this developing relationship, but the doctor advises
against it, saying it's the best treatment for Sampath.
Sampath comes out of his mental disturbance and
becomes almost like a normal child. On psychiatric advise he
start his schooling at home with private tutors together with
Sathya. Sampath's father now sees the positive influence the
Tamil girl has on and begins to accept her.
This is
1983, when the worst ethnic clashes occurred in Sri Lanka
between the Sinhalese and Tamils. Organized gangs of
Sinhalese extremists launched pogrom against the Tamils,
destroying their property and killing innocents. Velu and
Sathya get caught to the rioters. Velu is killed, but Sathya
escapes.
Sathya's mother arrives and decides to
take Sathya back to their village, despite the offer made by
Sampath's father for them to stay on in the bungalow. After
loosing the whole new world he had built up with Sathya,
Sampath reverts back to his disturbed state and starts his
destructive behavior.
