Pratima, then a kid, is being told the tale of Hastir Kanya, a neglected first wife of a priest who acquires as his second wife the spoil daughter of a wealthy priest. The lonesome first wife weeps by the river that turns salty. Elephants, attracted by the salty water hear her tale of woes and anoint her. She is transformed into an elephant. Young Pratima is mesmerized by this tale. Once, as she and her friends are wandering in the fields, she notices a group of folk performers and ventures to go near them. The maid accompanying them dissuades her. At home, once, as she is learning songs sung during Kartik Puja from the maids, her guardian summons her to the palace. Things are different when she is with Lalji, her father, who encourages her to learn the soulful folk songs from the mahouts