Thumbolarcha's life and Aromal's love, she argues with Aromal for Archa's case and pleads that he save Archa too from the disgraced life that she has been condemned to. Archa herself, though devastated by the most unkindest cut served by the love of her life, resigns to her fate and decides to devote her life to raising the baby. But her family would naturally have none of that. Her father (G. K. Pillai) and uncle (N. Govindankutty) go on to court Chandu Chekavar (K. P. Ummer), Aromal's cousin, who also had an eye on Archa but was summarily rejected by them all. Chandu demands that Archa undergo a so-called Test of Fire at the local temple to prove her fidelity and further demand that the baby be killed if he is to marry Archa. Archa's family is all set to agree and Archa realises that she has no choice. She also happens to witness Chandu personally strangling the baby at her house. Determined to exact revenge on him, she declares that she would prove her fidelity on the appointed day and further put to test any warrior who wishes to court her; she would marry only a warrior who can defeat her. Chandu who underestimates Archa and has a deluded image of himself, agrees in amusement. On the appointed day, in a dramatic magical display, Archa proves her fidelity before a large audience by emerging unscathed from fire. She further challenges any warrior who wishes to court her and proceeds to defeat everybody present hand down, including the acclaimed Chandu Chekavar himself. At this point, a crude tribal youth (Prem Nazir) emerges as a suitor and defeats Archa to everybody's surprise. Impressed, Archa submits herself in marriage to him, though her family as well as Chandu seethe in humiliation. Archa is taken to the tribal youth's hut and she moves in with his family, happily blending in. However, the enigmatic youth leaves on an errand of work into the deep forest without consummating their marriage, for which he promises to return on a certain auspicious night. At this time, her family and Chandu come into an unholy pact and abduct her from her husband's family by crook. Archa is placed under custody in her own home and preparations are underway to arrange Chandu's marriage ceremony with her. Hearing of the developments in Archa's life and sympathising with her, Aromal decides