When Anegan opens, we are told that the year is 1962 and the setting Burma. Murugappan, a Tamil labourer, saves Samudra, the daughter of a rich Burmese general, at a local fair. She falls madly in love with him but her father is totally against it. But the Burmese coup d'etat takes place, and Murugappan tries to smuggle Samudra to India. However, they are betrayed by Mallika, the girl who was in love with the lad. The lovers jump off the ship but Murugappan is shot at and Samudra decides to die along with him.

The action shifts to the present and we see that these events are being narrated... perskaityti likusius.