Tuti and Maria, daughters of Raden Wiriatmadja, go to the fish market where they meet Yusuf, a medical student from Martapura, South Sumatra.

[1] Maman S. Mahayana, Oyon Sofyan, and Achmad Dian also note the progressiveness of Tuti, writing that she is active in numerous organizations and is always working to further the needs of the Indonesian people, especially its women.

[3] Several writers (including Ajip Rosidi and HB Jassin) have written that Layar Terkembang was published in 1936; however, the seventh and eighteenth reprints of the book note it as 1937.

[3] Chee notes that the central purpose of Layar Terkembang is clear, that Indonesia could only be a modern country if both men and women adopted the Western characteristics of "individualism, egoism, materialism, and intellectualism".

[7] Siregar writes that Layar Terkembang is more complex than Alisjahbana's earlier work Dian yang Tak Kunjung Padam, with better developed characters.

He writes that the novel shows the shift in focus from the conflict between individuals and traditional culture to a nationalist awakening in the youth as well as a budding feminist movement.