Shanta (Mala Sinha) is daughter and daughter in law in the same house and to the same man, who, a retired judge (Ashok Kumar) gives her this honourable as wellas unique position after a struggle long drawn out and continuos against an orthodox conservative society which still does not believe in giving young women her right ful place in society and in allowing her to choose her own love and life. Shekar (Joy Mukherjee) an enlightened young man a poet falls in love with Shanta. In this affair he gets sympathatic help from Shanta's friend and sister in law Savitri (Mumtaz) who is married to a bum named Mahesh (Mehmood). Mahes has to pursue his own life with the passion of an ardent lover and in this puirsuit he is supported by his orthodox father. Shanta's bull work of support and strength is her father in law the retired judge who faces fearful odds to make her his daughter.