This film depicts the restrictive social conventions regarding inter-religion marriage and unwed motherhood in India. Julie (Lakshmi) is a Christian Anglo-Indian girl with a loving, but alcoholic father (Om Prakash), a dominating mother (Nadira), a younger brother and sister (Sridevi). She falls in love with her best friend, Usha Bhattacharya's (Rita Bhaduri) brother Shashi Bhattacharya (Vikram Makandar), a Hindu Brahmin boy. The lovers consummate their relationship, which leaves her pregnant. Shashi goes away to the city for corporate job, not knowing about her pregnancy. Her mother is distraught when Julie tells her about the pregnancy. They do not tell the rest of the family. Her mother thinks about getting Julie an abortion, but Ruby Aunty (Sulochana), a devout Christian, talks her out of it. Julie is sent away to have her baby in secret. The rest of the family is told that Julie got a job. After the baby's birth, Julie's mother arranges for the child to be left in an orphanage, and demands that Julie return home and forget about the baby.When Julie returns home, her father has died. She is now the primary earner in the family. Later, she runs into Shashi and tells him everything. He then asks to marry her, but his mother, Devki (Achala Sachdev), objects to the marriage as Julie is of a different faith. She blames Julie for seducing her son and having the baby. Julie's mother does not want the union either, as it will be an inter-faith marriage, and she wants to return to England. However, the wisdom of Shashi's father (Utpal Dutt) prevails as he confronts the mothers' prejudices regarding caste and religion, and urges them both to accept their grandchild. The film ends with the mothers offering their full blessings to the young couple, and Julie's mother promising her grandson she will "never leave him."