King Shantanu, the ruler of Hastinapur falls in love and marries Goddess Ganga with 2 conditions that he would never enquire abt her and never question her actions. In doing so he watches as Ganga abandons 7 of his newborns into the river. Unable to bear the sight any longer, he stops her from laying his eighth child into the river, thus breaking his promise. Ganga leaves him, but returns his son Devavrata to him, who is a very gifted and skilled warrior and a pivotal character in the story to come.