Our valiant hero Vallavaraiyan Vandiyatevan has been asked to make his way to Ilankai on Princess Kundavai Devi's request. With the help of the curious and eccentric Poonkuzhali, he does so, traversing across dangerous land and waters to finally meet 'Ponniyin Selvan'--the beloved Chozha prince Arulmozhi Varman.
Back home, the plotting to take over the throne of the Chozha empire continues. At the centre of it all, stands the wife of the senior Pazhuvettaraiyar, the beautiful and dangerous Nandini Devi, who will stop at nothing to bring down the Chozas. Will Vandiyatevan and the Chozha princes manage to outplay Nandini and the Pazhuvettaraiyars?
An epic adventure, skillfully written by Kalki and elegantly translated by his granddaughter Gowri Ramnarayan, continues in this, the second in the Ponniyin Selvan series.