The story of Tok Penghulu Siak who feels lonely and wants to have children tells his wife Mak Tanjung about this. Wak, who was formerly a village chief, operates a somewhat neglectful shop. Some villagers discover two human skeletons on the beach. Tok Penghulu believes they are his daughter Mariam and her husband Kasim. He asks the villagers to keep this secret from Mak Tanjung who is pregnant. Mak Tanjung dies after giving birth to Melati. Tok Penghulu is grief-stricken from losing his wife and continues to raise their child. He experiences emotional strain that causes his mind to become unsound. He scolds the villagers who tell him his wife has died. Wak asks the villagers to all move elsewhere because various disasters have occurred in this village, but the chief stubbornly refuses. Wak gets work looking after Tuan Besar Syarif's horses. Yanti, Tuan Syarif's daughter, is willing to marry Wak rather than marry an old man of her father's choosing, Kamdin.
