Johan Knevel finds himself increasingly caught in the crossfire: hunted as a murderer by his own people, he seeks refuge with the Indonesian nationalists. They mistakenly believe him to be their murdered comrade Verhagen. Verhagen's task was to supply the rebels with arms. The situation escalates: the Dutch colonial troops want to arrest the mysterious leader of the Indonesians, the Sanro. Van Dongen paints a kaleidoscope of characters who are either broken or break during the course of events – even if not all of them show it. It is a question of identity that drives nearly everyone: Knevel has lost his, Riebeek, the journalist, has changed his, and Erik Verhagen never quite had the chance to develop one. Rather confused than proactive, these and a handful of other characters are swept along by the events.