A Preface (Munnudi)

The film describes the plight of Byari women who marry Arab visitors for three-month stints. The only attraction for the women and their poor families is the bride price the Arabs are willing to pay. Tara marries an Arab, and unlike most Arabs, her husband promises to come back and take her to his country. She gives birth to a baby girl. The Arab never returns, and since he hasn't divorced her formally, she refuses to consider marrying again. The years roll by, but she doesn't give up hope. Nearly two decades after her husband sails away, she realizes the difficulty of having to marry off her daughter. The young men of her community, while being resentful of the rich Arabs, are unwilling to marry a girl whose father is neither around nor dead. Given her difficult experience, she is determined that her pretty daughter should not be married to an Arab. But she is at the mercy of the man who employs her, who depends on the Arabs to sell his timber.