Ramu (Raj Kapoor) is a poor law student in love with the even poorer Sohni (Mala
Sinha). Sohni's father (Nana Palsikar) is an alcoholic tailor in debt to the
villainous Harbanslal (Rehman) who demands to marry Sohni. Ramu must pay off the
villain if he is to win her. He is caught robbing the safe of a vicious old
moneylender and kills the man in self-defence. When the wrong man is arrested
for the crime, a police detective puts pressure on Ramu to confess and save the
innocent man from the gallows. Ramu eventually confesses and makes a moving plea
on behalf of the dispossessed's right to defend themselves against the real
villains in society.
