At its core, the film revolves around a deeply polarizing debate: the ethics of capital punishment. The story is framed around Angela James, played by Rohini, a civil advocate and documentary filmmaker interviewing death row inmates at the Madras Central Prison. Through her lens, we encounter two men involved in a horrific village massacre that left 24 people dead. The first is Kothala Thevar, portrayed with chilling nuance by Pasupathy, who is serving a life sentence. The second is Virumaandi, played by Kamal Haasan, a temperamental yet warm-hearted farmer awaiting execution by hanging.

Kamal Haasan went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the film felt completely authentic to its Southern Tamil Nadu roots.