Ivon Pelasula

Hans falls in love with Brenda, an Indonesian girl. Hans' father sells an old building to Brenda's father, so that he can open an Indonesian restaurant there. Hans' father is the owner of a snackbar himself. The restaurant becomes very successful, but some racists can't handle that, so they set the snackbar on fire.

Johan Ten Berghe joins the Dutch army when the Dutch East Indies unilaterally declare independence as Indonesia. He initiates his naive driver Twan in life in the East, having grown up there as son of colonial official Hendrik, now missing. Their adventures intertwine with Johan's childhood memories, especially concerning his native best friend, Oeroeg, who joined the rebellion, as well as their nanny and later de facto stepmother. Conflicting loyalties become tangible in extreme situations.