The book is a drama in three parts based on the famous Tamil classic 'Shilappathikaram'. It is in the form of dialogues between the hero Kovalan, heroine Kannaki, the danseuse Madhavi and maid Devanthi.
The story begins with the maidservant Devanthi returning home to Kannaki with the story that her beloved husband Kovalan is returning to her after a fight with the courtesan Madhavi who has snatched him from his wife. The crisp dialogues between the maid and the mistress tell the story of what has happened and what is happening. The second part tells of Kovalan and Kannaki going to Madurai where he is executed by the king thinking that he is a thief. The third is the scene where Kannaki faces the king wrathfully and makes him kill himself when he is proved to be wrong.