Embarrassed by the birth of a son, an unwed Kunthi (M.V. Rajamma) instructs her maid to abandon him in the river Ganga. The child is set afloat and is rescued, adopted, and named Karna (Shivaji Ganesan) by Charioteer Adhiratha and his wife, Radha. After maturing he does not want to follow in his foster father's footste…