Ammawarune ("Elegy for a Mother") is a poignant study of a widowed mother Sumanawathi and her relationship with her three grown-up children. Her elder son Kassapa is a young monk leading almost a cloistered, monastic life in an isolated temple. Though his relationship to his mother appears cold and formal, it masks a filial affection which is unrivaled by any. Daughter Premalatha has alienated herself by marrying a man of her choice, a man who practices the occult much to the discomfort of the family. Saliya, the youngest son, an unemployed youth joins the Army due to circumstances beyond his control. Bewildered by the tragic events that follow, Sumanawathi's world begins to collapse Gradually and inevitably she retreats into a world of solitude and silence.