Samsoelbahri goes to Batavia (Jakarta) to study, while Noerbaja must marry the contemptuous Datuk Meringgih so that he will forgive her father's debts.

Ten years later, Meringgih leads an uprising against the Dutch colonial government to protest a recent tax increase.

Siti Noerbaja was directed by Lie Tek Swie and produced Touw Ting Iem of Standard Film.

[1] The book, which Indonesian critic Zuber Usman writes was inspired by the writer's heartbreak after his family rejected him taking a non-Minangkabau wife,[3] was one of Balai Pustaka's most popular works, and had previously been adapted for the stage.

[9] The second version, beginning in December 2004, was directed by Encep Masduki and starred Nia Ramadhani, Ser Yozha Reza, and Anwar Fuady; this series introduced a new character as a competitor for Samsoelbahri's affections.