Gentle basket seller Poochiyappa has big dreams of social mobility for his grandson, Kumaresan, whose parents died years ago in a caste riot that shook their village. When Vellaiyan, Poochis beneficent but easily ruffled landlord, instructs him to find a choice pig-or "seththumaan", whose meat is fetishized among local gourmands, or denigrated by caste conservatives-Poochi and little Kumaresan get busy. However, once pork and drink go down, tempers flare up, and Poochi must avoid getting caught up in the acerbic hostilities that consume his dominant caste overlords.