This masterfully crafted family drama traces the thought-provoking sequence of events that unfold in the life of Anila Bose (Mamata Shankar) after she receives a letter from a man, who claims to be her long lost uncle Manomohan Mitra (Utpal Dutt).
He is visiting India after 35 years abroad and Anila is his only surviving relative, so he wants to meet her in Calcutta before he sets off again. Anila looks forward to the meeting, but her husband Sudhindra (Deepankar De) is suspicious. The uncle arrives and stays with the family. He says that he is an anthropologist who has traveled all over the world, and he immediately wins the friendship of Anila's son Satyaki.
Anila suddenly remembers her grandfather's Will, and Sudhindra is quick to suspect that the man calling himself Manomohan has come only to claim his share of the inheritance. Anila now also starts to doubt his identity, while their son truly believes that he is the man he claims to be.
The central conflict of the film rests upon the identity of the man and the family's struggle to accept or reject it. Sudhindra subjects the visitor to various tests in an effort to resolve this conflict. In a final attempt to unravel the truth, he invites a lawyer friend to gently question the guest. However, things turn ugly as the lawyer's anger builds up until he orders the guest to 'either come clean or just clear out.' Next morning, the visitor is gone. Desperate to find him and win him back, the family finally learns that he is in fact Manomohan Mitra, and locate him in a remote village.
The couple apologises to Manomohan and persuades him to come back to Calcutta. Back in Calcutta, just before he leaves for Australia, Manomohan gives the family his entire share of the inheritance.