Ganesh (Prabhu Deva) has the job of collecting travelers for the lone bus run by Padmavathi Bus Service in the town of Cuddalore. His high-energy people-gathering tactics are considered the reason for the crowds on the bus, and he earns commission for the same from the owner (Nassar) of the bus service. Though Ganesh earns quite enough, he does not buy new things and eats very late and little. No one knows why he is saving so much money. The bus owner was, a young cleaner at Venkatesa bus service, but he fell in love with the owner's daughter and eloped with her. Then after much hardships, he becomes the owner of four buses and very rich, in the same town, while his father in-law's bus company failing. He and his family still maintain no contact with the mother's family.

Ganesh is pursued by lottery ticket seller Saroja (Roja), who dreams of marrying him, though she receives no response from him. A final-year medical student named Kousalya (Kausalya), the daughter of Ganesh's boss, slowly falls for him after seeing his good-heartedness. One day, the bus owner's father-in-law falls very sick, and after much reluctance, he and his wife go to see him. The old man proposes a marriage between Kausalya and his other grandson, to which the bus owner says that he needs two days to decide. That evening, Kousalya is mistakenly locked in her class, and the owner beats Ganesh upon believing that the duo eloped. Though the owner apologizes, Ganesh is heartbroken.

Later, Kausalya visits a small suburban area colony for the vaccination campaign, where she is shocked when she sees Ganesh being accused by a mentally ill woman named Thulasi (Suvalakshmi), as being responsible for destroying her life and killing her brother.

Kausalya finds that three years ago, Thulasi's family moved to Cuddalore. However, Thulasi came two days later and was lost in the bus stand as her brother did not come to pick her up. Ganesh saw her and left in her in the area police station for safety at night. There, she is brutally raped by the Inspector. Thulasi berates Ganesh and comes home. She attempts suicide by poison; however, she is saved but loses her mental stability. Her brother, unable to bear her pain, commits suicide, leaving his pregnant wife.

Later, Ganesh saves enough money to treat her, and Thulasi is back to normal. Kausalya finds out that Ganesh has organized a marriage and rushes to save her love. She imagines whether Ganesh will marry her, Roja, or Thulasi. However, it is seen that the wedding is for Thulasi, and that Inspector has changed into a good man. When Thulasi's sister-in-law is unable to perform rites as she is a widow, Ganesh marries her, and then the duo performs the rites for Thulasi as brother and sister-in-law.

Later, the bus owner gifts Ganesh a brand new bus and tells him that he is also an owner, to which Ganesh replies that he is still a worker in heart.