Ponirah Terpidana

(title translation: Ponirah Convicted)

Ponirah is regarded as a child who brings bad luck. His mother dies while giving birth to her. Then her brother, Permadi, is also killed, when riding together on his bicycle. Ponirah is almost stabbed with a kris by her own father, Jabarudi, who goes berserk. Trindil, a faithful servant, takes her away from home. Since then, Trindil treats Ponirah as her own child. Trindil becomes a Ronggeng dancer for awhile, and even prostitutes herself in Yogyakarta, to support Ponirah. When Ponirah reaches adolescence and studies in high school, the new teacher, Guritno pays extra attention to her. Actually, Guritno is her own uncle, who has a will from the late Jabarudi, to look for Ponirah. A misunderstanding causes Ponirah to leave Trindil and to follow a young guy, Jarkasi, to Jakarta. Trindil is left in despair and desperately tries to hang herself. Jarkasi is actually a broker of young women from the villages, to be hired as hostesses in the city, though he is really in love with Ponirah. On the contrary, Ponirah is determined to be the most expensive hostess. Meanwhile, the boss, Franky Darling, wants Ponirah. Guritno finds Jarkasi but when he enters the house, Ponirah stabs him, mistaking him for Franky. Jarkasi tells the police that he is the one who killed Guritno. But the police find out that it is Ponirah so she goes to jail, with the pure love of Jarkasi within her.