Ullarivu (The Awakening) is the story of a young girl who experiences the tragic loss of her deep connection with nature when she encounters the strangeness of the world. She loves spending time in nature, and exploring the world around her with curiosity and a sense of belonging that has not been questioned yet. But, one day she is forced to reconsider her idea of freedom and her relationship with the world, as she realises her access to the world itself is limited due to her gender.

Even though she is brought up in a loving, protective family, helmed by her father, the family dynamics are deeply rooted in patriarchal rules and values. A mother who believes she's impure during her menstruation period and hesitates to touch a plant, a father who limits his teenage daughter’s movements outside in order to protect her, a teenage girl who would rather sit at home and play an ominous game of stones than explore the world like boys her age do — the patriarchal oppression (external and internalized) runs deep and undisputed. In the course of one day, the young protagonist unwittingly learns 'the rules' of the world she inhabits as a girl. She realises now it’s her turn to play the game, and there’s no escape from it once the game begins. The film chronicles the protagonist’s journey from being a carefree child of the earth into a cautious young girl in the world, as she pieces together the hidden meanings and unfair rules of the patriarchal world. The film ends where the first day of her life as an awakened girl begins.