the story is set in a street in a small village called durvasapura in the western ghats of karnataka. a majority of the people who live in the street belong to the community of madhwas (a brahmin community). the people who stay here have a traditional mindset and strictly follow the rules defined by their religion. two of the main characters in the story are praneshacharya (girish karnad) and narayanappa. praneshacharya is a devout brahmin who has completed his vedic education at varanasi and has returned to duravasapura and is considered as the leader of the brahmin community of his village and the surrounding ones. his main goal is to attain liberation ("moksha") and he is willing to go to any length to achieve it. to remain focused on his goal and as an act of self-sacrifice, he marries an invalid woman and hence remains celibate.