Indonesia. The adolescent years of Ikal, as well as his cousinArai and his friend Jimbron. In order to continue their education, the boys must leave their village for the port city of Manggar—dozens of kilometers away from their families. Under the supervision of a young and spirited teacher named Julian Balia, Ikal, Arai and Jimbron become inspired by his fresh ideas to pursue big dreams. They make a promise to stick together to reach their ambitious dream: studying in Paris and traveling the world. We follow them through their teenage crises as they enter that golden, yet turbulent, high school phase of their lives. Arai comes down with an unbearable love for Zakiah Nurmala, a beautiful girl who is higher in social status, and Jimbron falls for a young, sullen girl working at a grass jelly factory who never, ever smiles. As for Ikal, the humiliation of being poor leads him to anger, and he begins to feel that their ambition is nothing but a big lie.
