Melati's journey took her from a cloistered Swiss boarding school to the guerrilla camps of a scorched earth. Her own personal growth from a naive school girl to an independent young woman closely parallels the struggle for independence of her reclaimed homeland.Harumi Wanasita tells the story of one woman - Melati. She also tells the story of a generation. The Dutch-Indonesian descent people at the time of Indonesia's declaration of independence on 17 August 1945 were the last generation of their culture.This is Harumi's generation, Harumi's culture. Her character, Melati, has a unique story. But it is an important story, an essential part of the Dutch-Indonesian culture.