The Exotic Orchid

Annie, the main character of the story, is a Javanese woman of noble birth. Her arranged marriage, and followed by her husband's adulterous betrayal, then subsequent lost of custody of her only child forced her to escape from Indonesia to New York with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket, determined to find a better life. She finds a job as a Balinese dancer. Through hardship, long and winding roads for years in work, courtship and motherhood, such as having an illegitimate son that is disgraceful according to Indonesian moral standard, and being expelled by Indonesian community in New York, she strives to become a distinguished fashion designer. The story of an immigrant struggles for her existence is relevant to American society. I also include Javanese and Balinese traditions, which manifest themselves, shown in the character's inner conflicts, as her efforts to release herself from her original cultural binding and enter the American way of thinking