Suparto is a middle-ranked officer who is moved to Jakarta. In the city, he meets Harjiman, the licensing importer. Then Harjiman introduces him to Roostinah whose task is to seduce Suparto for help in securing the import licenses. Suparto's wife, Sulastri, comes to Jakarta when she hears about her husband's unfaithfulness. Then Suparto realizes that Roostinah is sent to seduce him, but when he returns to Sulastri, she rejects him. His crime is discovered and Suparto is sent to prison. When he completes his sentence, Suparto joins the migration to Sumatra. Then Sulastri accepts him again.

Sugesti feels jealous because Rochijat falls in love with her sister, Bardini, and he only considers her as a friend. To cope with her disappointment, Sugesti becomes a lead singer in a theater group led by Subroto. She stops singing when she marries the loan shark, Surachman, to pay for the debts of the theater group. Meanwhile, Bardini is at a loose end and works at Sugesti's house. She pretends not to know her and treats her badly. After dealing with various challenges, Bardini marries Rochijat. When she visits her father's grave, she runs into Sugesti, who is now a poor woman, after her husband is sent to jail.

Abdulkadir is a scrooge. He works as a loan shark. His daughter, Suliati, is going steady with Ahmad. But Abdulkadir resents his daughter's lover due to his poverty. Instead, he pairs off Suliati with the wealthy Abdulrachman. Meanwhile, Abdulkadir is dating Rohana, his own son, Ramelan's girlfriend. Finally, it is revealed that Ahmad is actually Abdulrachman's son. In the end, Ahmad gets to marry Suliati.