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.