| Director | Ritwik Ghatak |
|---|
A fisherman by the River Titas, Kishore, marries a young girl, Rajar Jhi, on impulse when he visits a nearby village. After their wedding night, they head for Kishore's village on his boat the following night. Rajar Jhi is kidnapped on the way by bandits as the fishermen sleep but jumps into the river and is rescued by fishermen from another area. She is too ashamed to return to her home village, as they would suspect her of having been abandoned by or having deserted her husband. Unfortunately, she knows little about her husband, not even his name, though these were recorded in her home village. The only thing she remembers is the name of his village. Kishore in turn does not return for her as the shock of losing her has driven him mad and he assumes that the bandits have taken her to an unknown destination.
Ten years later, Rajar Jhi attempts with their son to find Kishore to give him a father. Some residents of his village refuse to share food with them because of imminent starvation but a young widow, Basanti, helps them. Later, it turns out that Kishore and Basanti were childhood lovers.
Director Ghatak appears in the film as a boatman, and Basanti's story is the first of several melodramatic tales.