Nancy, the daughter of a native njai (mistress) named Dasima who was murdered several years earlier after leaving her family, returns to Batavia, Dutch East Indies (modern day Jakarta, Indonesia), as an adult.
She discovers that her mother's murderers, a delman driver named Samiun and his wife Hayati, have returned from exile.
In a dream, Nancy sees her mother, who asks that she hunt down Samiun and Hayati and take revenge upon them.
Intending to calm her mother's soul, Nancy sets out in pursuit of the murderers, who have taken what remained of Dasima's wealth and fled to nearby Banten.
[7] A review in Panorama described the imagery as clear, like a Western film, with beautiful views and good characterisation of Nancy, Hayati, and the government official.