Armaan grapples with profound grief and regret, reflecting on losing his mother, Shivani, and brother, Rohit. He blames himself for driving Armaan away from the family’s law firm, Poddar & Associates, a legacy nurtured by generations. His grandmother, Dadi, insists Armaan’s identity as a lawyer is innate, urging him to return and honor Rohit’s unfulfilled dreams. Armaan resists, associating the firm with familial betrayal and unresolved trauma. Meanwhile, Abir, Rohit’s widow, navigates her role as a surrogate mother to Armaan’s child, struggling with loneliness and guilt over Rohit’s death. The family pressures Armaan to prioritize the firm, but he remains torn between duty and personal healing.
The Poddar firm faces collapse as employees resign en masse, leaving only a skeletal staff. Dadi and Madhav (Armaan’s uncle) plead with Armaan to salvage the legacy, but he refuses, citing the firm’s role in perpetuating familial estrangement. Madhav confronts Dadi, accusing her of undermining those who deviated from her rigid expectations—like Manoj, who chose non-legal work, and Krishna, who pursued dance. Armaan rejects the coat symbolizing Rohit’s role, declaring the firm a relic of his father’s neglect and Dadi’s manipulation. His return home, he insists, is to support his fractured family, not to revive a broken institution.
Abir and Ruhi (the surrogate) bond over shared grief, with Abir vowing to care for Rohit’s unborn child. Armaan, haunted by survivor’s guilt from the accident that killed Shivani and Rohit, struggles to open up emotionally. Abir implores him to share his pain, establishing a pact to support one another. Meanwhile, tensions escalate as Dadi attempts to amend the family will, excluding Armaan’s future child. Madhav warns against trusting Armaan’s motives, believing he and Ruhi will leave after the birth. The family’s mistrust deepens, yet Armaan remains resolved to protect his child and rebuild relationships on his own terms.
Armaan confronts Dadi, unearthing decades of resentment: her lies about his mother’s death, her dismissal of non-legal careers, and her role in alienating Rohit. He rejects the firm as a symbol of her control, declaring, “I am not a Poddar.” Dadi, shaken but defiant, clings to the hope that blood ties will compel him to reclaim his legacy. The scene closes with Armaan’s refusal to wear Rohit’s lawyer coat, symbolizing his rejection of a destiny shaped by others. The family’s future hangs in the balance, caught between crumbling traditions and Armaan’s quest for autonomy.
