The silent film follows the lives of a native Indonesian family sent into poverty by the husband's splurging.

A native Indonesian man leaves his beautiful young wife Eulis Atjih and their child to lead a life of partying.

[6] Of note is the film's use of the word "Indonesia", which was not to be formalised as a preferred term for the archipelago until the Youth Pledge in 1928.

[2] The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran writes that the film educated Dutchmen through its depiction of native Indonesian rites, including funerals and marriage, as well as sent a message to native audiences that splurging would only result in poverty.

[2] It was a critical and commercial success in the country, especially among the ethnic Chinese community; the newspaper Pewarta Soerabaja wrote that the actress who played Eulis was "beautiful when her life was carefree, but looked like a villager when she fell poor.