Manalnagaram documents the story of many ex-patriots- of their gains and losses; dreams and nightmares but Manalnagaram mainly zooms in to the life of a typical achiever of the 'Gulf-success' a shipping magnet-Kevin Mathews.

Kevin has built up his corporate empire through years of hard work and personal sacrifices. His only daughter Ancy, is the sole heir to this fortune.
Ancy is doing her Management studies in the US and all of sudden she comes back to her parents as a shock. That was the first blow Kevin's empire had to take.

The US authorities deported her on drug abuse grounds. This was the harsh truth Kevin had to accept. But his doting wife Elsa gave him all the moral support to see him through the difficult reality.
When Scriah, the finance manager of Kevin Associates, driven by his ruthless ambition, jeopardizes the future of the company Kevin faces with mute anger the cracks that are falling on the walls of his fortress.
His trusted associate Marcose deserts him as the result of the vicious chess moves of the corporate warfare.

When little by little each and every brick of his empire began to fall apart Kevin could stand up and face it with renewed strength mainly because of moral and ethical convictions. But then one day, when his long lost girl friend herself met him by chance and revealed that when he ditched her she was bearing his child, that was some thing more than what Kevin could take. He realised that his major corporate contender Albert is none other than his own son.

Fraught with the experiences of growing up as a bastard Albert hated his father enough to become his nemesis.

Skeletons of the past resurrected before Kevin and bewitched him.
To bring solace to his mentally disintegrating daughter, Kevin persuades his chauffer Venu to pretend as her lover. Being a married man his act leads to uncontrollable situations. Finally when Kevin had to implicate this innocent young man in a drug haul, to save his daughter, Kevin has sunk to the pits of his moral conscience.

Having lost his material empire, his family and friends and finally his moral strength he has only one way out to redeem himself. With the masochistic pleasure of punishing himself Kevin wanders into the burning expanse of the desert.

The very same desert that showed him a way to build up his life now bewitches him with mirages and sandstorm.
He searches for the meaning of his life and his futile quest to achieve happiness. Through this magnificent climax scene Manalnagaram symbolises not only the fall of one Kevin Mathews but of every man who is in search for success with out the strength of moral and ethical conscience.