The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Rao, Raja. Kanthapura. New Directions Paperbook, 1963.

Kanthapura is a typical village in Southern India, defined by caste and religious tradition. The story is narrated by Achakka, a Brahmin woman who becomes an eventual supporter of Moorthy and his Gandhian movement. Moorthy's ideas conflict with people in the community. Bhatta questions Gandhi, Moorthy, and the movement, concluding that would speak to the Swami about Moorthy being excommunicated.

When Moorthy arrives home, he is excited to see his mother, but she pushes him away. Narsamma is overcome with grief regarding the possible excommunication of her son. At word of Moorthy's excommunication, Narsamma went to the river at night and “the cold so pierced her that the next morning she was dead” (43). After this, Moorthy began to live in Rangamma’s house.

In the next chapter, the reader is introduced to the Skeffington Coffee Estate, a horrific place of work for the coolies who are employed there. The sahib is abusive, especially towards the women. They decide that the coolies must learn to read and write in order to “speak straight to the sahib and ask for this and that, money and material and many holidays,” and this is how Moorthy becomes involved with the Estate (56). However, Moorthy never makes it; before he can arrive, Bade Khan accosts him and Moorthy’s followers attack Bade Khan. After this, Moorthy began his “Don’t-touch-the-government” campaign.

Moorthy tells Rangamma that he will fast for three days, as “much violence had been done because of him” (61). On the third day, he breaks his fast, leaves the temple, and goes out preach his “Don’t-touch-the-government” campaign. He decides first to see Range Gowda, as he holds particular importance within the village. Moorthy decides that a Congress group must be started in Kanthapura. Afterwards, Moorthy enters Pariah quarters and for the first time, he enters a Pariah house. This powerful step convinces more people to visit Moorthy and learn of his movement. Bhatta is distressed when he hears of the Congress, and decides that he will find a husband for Venkamma’s daughter, allowing him to use Venkamma and “her tongue and her tail” however he wants (78).

After this, Moorthy is arrested. He is taken away to Karwar and lawyers come to his defense. Sankar, a lawyer and secretary of the Karwar Congress committee, visits Moorthy and declares his support. He holds meetings for him in which conflict arises and Ranganna is arrested. The people in Kanthapura hear the news, and Rangamma decides to travel to Karwar to see Moorthy. Sankar offers Rangamma to live with him and help him with his work with the movement. Rangamma gains new strength and decides that “when the Mahatma will call us to act, we shall have to go out and fight for him”; thus the group of women in Kanthapura become the Volunteers (103).

While the people wait for Moorthy, they see a group of policemen around Rangamma’s house and realize that Moorthy is there. At this time, Gandhi begins his walk to the sea to make salt. However, when people begin to follow Gandhi, the police tell them that they have broken the law and the men are beaten back and put into prison.

Two days later, the people march to the toddy grove, and there is a clash with police. Moorthy is beaten severely. The police gather the people and put them into trucks going in different directions. The women end up in the middle of the jungle, and Rangamma helps lead them back to Kanthapura. When they return, Moorthy leads them back to Skeffington Road, where they await the coolies to go to the toddy booth. The maistri arrives and forces the coolies to proceed to the booth while Moorthy and his followers attempt to block the way by laying on the ground. The conflict continues, and the villagers find themselves in another truck, forced to walk back home to Kanthapura. When they arrive home, they realize that Moorthy's followers are growing. They find that many people have joined Moorthy's movement, and they continue to picket the toddy shops. Moorthy decides that they will not pay their taxes and the government announces a “punitive tax” that would be enforced on the villagers (145). After this, Moorthy announces that “the fight has really begun” (146).

The next morning, the villagers witness a procession of coolies from the Skeffington Coffee Estate marching through the streets “bent headed… To show who our true masters were” (147). The women flood the streets and shout at the police, realizing that the men had been arrested that night and taken from Kanthapura. Chaos ensues and Kanthapura begins to burn; Ratna takes charge, leading the women into the temple. They are barricaded in by a policeman, but are released by Rachanna’s wife.

In the last scenes of the book, Kanthapura falls under attack. The women and "city boys" plan a pilgrimage out of the village, but chaos quickly ensues when they reach the barricades of the Skeffington Estate. The police beat the marchers with their lathis, and someone raises “the flag of the Revolution” (167). Suddenly, a single fire is shot into the air and there is silence. Soldiers demand that the city boys lower their flag or be shot. The coolies take up the battle cry and the police open fire. The people are massacred. The women sneak back into town and a fire is set upon Kanthapura as they journey away from the village. They travel through the jungle to Mysore State, where they “hung garlands on our necks and called us the pilgrims of the Mahatma” (178).

In the final chapter, it will have been a year and two months since they left Kanthapura. Rangamma is set to be released from prison soon, and Ratna has already been released. News of Gandhi’s truce with Britain has reached them, along with news of Moorthy’s release from prison. In a letter that he wrote to Ratna, he criticizes Gandhi for letting “himself be cheated” by the English (180). Achakka, however, still believes in Gandhi. Range Gowda is the only one who returned to Kanthapura; although he prayed to Kenchamma, upon leaving, his heart, nevertheless, “beat like a drum” (182).