[1] Child of All Nations continues the story of the lives of the main character, Minke, and his mother in law, Nyai Ontosoroh.
That wealthy, educated Javanese like Minke and Nyai were still considered inferior to the Dutch due to their Native birth status and frequently simply the color of their skin.
His worldview is jaded by the fact that he is wealthy and educated, and therefore closer to the Dutch than other Javanese; however, Minke comes to realize the ethical implications of the injustices being done to his people.
The story continues where This Earth of Mankind leaves off, shortly after Annelies has departed by ship to the Netherlands with Panji Darman secretly in tow.
His opinion quickly changes after recording an interview between Nijman and a member of the Chinese Young Generation, Khouw Ah Soe.
Minke feels hurt from the encounter, and decides to take Kommer up on his offer to visit the Sidoarjo region and discover who his people really are.
Trunodongso is a poor sugar cane farmer and he explains his grievances to Minke and expresses how natives all over the country are being taken advantage of.
The unfortunate story of Surati, Sastro Kassier's daughter provides a microcosm of the situation for not only Javanese women but the native people in general.
Frits Homerus Vlekkenbaaij, addressed as Tuan Besar Kuasa and nicknamed "Plikemboh" by the mixed-blood employees, orders Sastro to give him Surati so she can become his mistress.
However, she does take matters into her own hands as she contracts smallpox for the expressed purposed of infecting Tuan Besar Kuasa, trying to kill herself and him.
"[5] Clearly, the people's status as Natives defines their role in society, and as such some were forced to yield to the wishes of those in authority over them, whether that person be their father or their manager.
Another major event that occurs in Chapter three of the text is Minke's interview with the young Chinese activist, Khouw Ah Soe.
Upon arrival to the interview, Minke was very disappointed to learn that his interviewee turned out to be a poor youth who gave the impression of originating from the village.
Despite this drawback, Khouw Ah Soe provided the initial steps to Minke's recognition of the exploitation occurring in his country.
He knew the superiority of Europeans to the natives existed, although upon reading the article Minke begins to question the appropriateness of their tactics.
It is important to the development of the story because after speaking with Kommer and Jean Marais, Minke came to acknowledge and realize that he truly did not know his own people and this realization changed his course in life.
Without even a pencil at his disposal, Pramoedya managed to orally compose a series of four historical-fiction novels called the Buru Quartet.
Two days before its release the Attorney General claimed that the book "contains a veiled Marxist theory" and tried unsuccessfully to have it banned.