Trapped in the slums, Insiang finds living with her disapproving, sharp-tongued mother, Tonya, trying. Tonya, having long ago been abandoned by her husband, takes her bitterness out on those around her. In a fit of anger, she finally throws out her husband's relatives who have been living with her, but it's not for the sake of their not bringing in money anymore, which it seems on the surface. She's making way for her boyfriend, Dado, to move in. Dado, the town bully, is young enough to be her son, and this new living situation becomes the talk of the town. It isn't long before he forces himself upon Insiang. Tonya is at first outraged but soon takes Dado's side and blames her daughter for her own rape. Insiang leaves home to seek support and solace from her ardent would-be boyfriend Bebot, but he proves to be another Lothario as well. Forced to return home, Insiang turns this inescapable situation upon itself to exact revenge.