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 ...