The story of Aalamaram commences in the British ruled era and ends in the 21^st century India. There are many sub plots and stories as it has so many characters. It is to the author’s credit that all the characters are well-etched out and remain in the mind for long. Also, all the characters have been excellently linked and interwoven into the main plot by the author. For clarity, she has also provided a family tree at the beginning of the novel.
 
Ambujam, a child widow who never gets an opportunity to be in her marital home as her husband dies of snake bite soon after their marriage, remains with her widower father Badrinarayanan in their ancesteral house ‘Badri Nilayam’ at Mancholai (a fictional village near Kumbakonam town in Tamil Nadu, a la  Malgudi of R K Narayan). Her father trains her to handle his considerable wealth and properties comprising several acres of paddy fields, lands, the sprawling Badri Nilayam and housing properties at Kumbakonam. The Badrinarayanan family, Tamil Brahmins of the Srivaishnava sect (Iyengar), is popular in the village for their generosity and hospitality to all irrespective of caste and creed. He dies early leaving the management of his vast wealth and his two young sons Veeraraghavan and Pattabhi to an equally young Ambujam. She doesn’t fail her father and nurtures the properties and her brothers with great love, care, dedication, commitment, a native intelligence and at times, with an iron hand.. She also continues her family tradition of generosity and  hospitality to  all.