Growing up in West Sumatra in the 1920s, Hamid and Zainab comes from families from very different social classes. Hamid is poor, while Zainab is wealthy. Hamid receives a scholarship from Zainab's father and Hamid's mother works for Zainab's family. Hamid and Zainab fall in love and dream of finding a way for society to accept their union, and also to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.