Sumirah, the wife of a pedicab driver, is pressured by the local landlord Den Bei Hardjo to marry him with the promise of wealth. She rejects the offer. Den Bei Hardjo threatens to evict her family for failing to pay their rent. Sumirah’s beauty becomes a curse; in addition to suffering from poverty and tuberculosis, her husband, Amat, leaves her out of jealousy. Only her son, Ali, remains by her side.