Hari and Lila live with their two younger sisters, Bela and Kamal in Thul, a small fishing village in India. Their father is a drunkard who drinks toddy and their mother is sick. Their family is very poor and their father has sold off his fishing boat and cow to pay off his debts. Hari and Lila have stopped going to school to help keep the family going. They have a dog named Pinto.

Hari soon hears news that the government is going to build factories in Thul. He and his friends hope to get jobs there. Meanwhile, Biju, who is the richest fisherman in the village, is building a new fishing boat that will have a diesel engine and a freezer. Hari also considers working on Biju's new boat or going to Bombay to find a job.

The De Silvas from Bombay soon come to Thul for...