A small village on the sandy fringe of Saurashtra, where illiteracy is pervasive, employment is scarce, women are routinely oppressed, and landlords are all-powerful. The British still rule India. An officer of the alien government, a Subedar, assigned to collect taxes, arrives in the village. He is a combination of a braggart and a clown with a sadistic streak to him. He is accompanied by his soldiers and a horse, a proud symbol of his authority. The moment the Subedar sets his eyes on the dusky Sonbai, a spirited beauty known for her defiant ways, he forgets all about taxes and lusts for her openly. Knowing that it is normal for a Subedar to expect gifts from a village, he shamelessly demands Sonbai and the spineless villagers, knowing that Sonbai's husband is away, agree to oblige. But Sonbai and her few reluctant supporters are made of sterner stuff. They defy the arbitrary authority of the officer with a ferocity that leaves him reeling.