Rupa (Zeenat Aman) grew up being cursed as "unlucky" in her birth village. Her mother died during childbirth, then a kitchen accident leaves half her face disfigured. This is an artistic exploration of beauty and disfigurement, society's values, and, more importantly how a girl, teenager, and bride was treated during the times. Rajeev (Shashi Kapoor), the stereotype male engineer, falls in love with Rupa, who has a divine singing voice and the unscarred left cheek. When he sees the scarred cheek after marriage, he heads off into a tizzy and continues nightly dalliance with his mistress--the beautiful cheek. Little does he realize that his wife and mistress are two faces of the same person.