Damodaran, a resident of the fiction village of Pullinad, is unable to transport his pregnant wife to the hospital due to heavy rain and the rebellion following the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. His wife's brother, referred to as Ammavan by the protagonist and his friends, arranges for a midwife. Damodaran is initially against it but later agrees. Unfortunately, the child is stillborn, and this devastates Damodaran. He places the lifeless child on a table and goes to see his wife whose condition has worsened. Ammavan, a chain smoker, blows smoke at the seemingly dead child, which causes it to begin breathing.