The story unfolds in a dry and barren village. The protagonist Anbukkarasu (Kishore) wants to excel in life as a collector and is a preceious child. He meets Jeevanandam (Sree Raam), the son of the school teacher Chokkulingam (Jayaprakash). The meeting occurs on the first day of school. In the long run, Jeeva develops an instant dislike for Anbu even the good-hearted Anbu tries to befriend him. However, Jeeva continues to hate Anbu with a passion. Enters Manonmani (Dharini), Jeeva's cousin, who develops an affinity towards Anbu. This makes Jeeva detest Anbu further. Anbu excels academically and in extracurricular activities, which contributes to widening the rift between the two. Anbu's parents have different opinions on life, resulting in a fight between them that Jeeva uses as a means to hurt Anbu further.

A fight between Anbu and Jeeva escalates to involve their parents, and this divides their families. The elders smooth out their differences when Jeeva's father speaks to Anbu's father about forgiveness, leading Anbu's father to get along better with his wife. In a twist, Meenakshi Sundaram (Vimal), Anbu's uncle, falls in love with Soppikannu (Vega Tamotia), Jeeva's sister. The families unite when they agree to the marriage of Meenakshi Sundaram and Soppikannu, much to the chagrin of Jeeva and Anbu, whose rift deepens.

At the end of their sixth grade, Jeeva's father asks the class to a write a letter about good and bad events in their past year, and this causes Anbu and Jeeva to share their feelings about one another. Anbu expresses his liking of Jeeva, while Jeeva continues to express his dislike of Anbu. However, Manonmani helps Jeeva understand that Anbu has changed his life for the better. When Anbu meets with a sudden accident, Jeeva's encouragement helps Anbu recover. Jeeva apologizes, they become friends, and the film ends with Meenakshi Sundaram's marriage to Soppikannu.