From the ashes of shattered dreams rises a powerful drama of hope and convictions that has Chhotu Ustad (Amitabh Bachchan) and Raja (Vinod Mehra) battling against the ironic twists of Fate. During their younger days, unable to suffer the taunts of their sister-in-law (Tanuja), they walk out of the house, breaking the heart of elder brother Hari (Sanjeev Kumar) who took care of them after their parents’ death.

They travel to Bombay and Chhotu plies a taxi, foregoing his schooling so that Raja can get a good education. He falls for Mary (Parveen Babi), a reformed petty thief and the colony that he lives in admires his love for his brother and his righteousness.

Raja gets a taste of the life that rich people lead when he gets involved with Manju (Bindiya Goswami), the daughter of a rich man (Prem Chopra). In his blind pursuit of money, he shatters Chhotu’s heart, when he opts to marry Manju and moves into his father-in-law’s home. And then he discovers to his shock that his father-in-law is not quite the nice man he pretends to be. Torn between his brothers and his father-in-law's nefarious deeds, Raja needs Chhotu to bail him out.