She Smells of Turmeric

Throughout her life, Cecilia Poetry has heard her father rave about his home country of Indonesia. After his death, Cecilia is finally ready to move to Jakarta and explore the beautiful life that her father had envisioned.

When Cecilia moves in with her wealthy grandparents, they try their best to shape her into the ideal Indonesian granddaughter. She learns of her grandparents’ distaste for her American lifestyle and grudges against her beloved parents, which pushes her further away. Entangled in frustrating family dynamics, Cecilia escapes to her colleagues and friends: rich, beautiful, and successful people who she can’t measure up to.

The more Cecilia immerses herself in this captivating new world, the more infatuated she becomes by the glamor and intrigue of Jakarta. As her friends’ lives unfold to reveal tragic pasts, unexpected friendships, and toxic secrets hidden behind plastic smiles, Cecilia finally begins to feel a real connection to Jakarta. But as Jakarta’s reality starts to catch up with her, it becomes clear that nothing in the city is as it seems.