Writing
The film tells a story about a family with six children. The father is often angry with everyone except the eldest child (Mieke Wijaya). Then the family situation deteriorates further when mother falls ill and is hospitalized. Finally, problems are solved thanks to the calmness and charm of the third sibling (Indriati Iskak).
Set in the 1930s, and narrated like a ballad from the past, "The Tiger from Tjampa" tells of how a young man, Lukman, seeks to avenge his father’s murder by learning pencak silat, a traditional form of self defence, based on the movements of animals.
Arman’s father denies his request for a toy gun, but his mother allows it. With that toy gun, Arman forms a squad called “Berani Mati” or “Ready to Die” with his friends, Hamdan and others. The security in the neighborhood is threatened by the mischief of Bang Hamid, and Arman and his squad, successfully prevent a burglary by him. The residents are proud to have such brave boys in the neighborhood.
The residents of a dormitory led by Bu Siti each have their own personal issues. Tari, a dance student, falls in love with a man old enough to be her father. Rahimah, a medical student, is about to be forced into marriage in her village but is rescued by Nasrul. Maria, a flight attendant, gets entangled in a love quadrangle. She is loved by Imansyah, a co-pilot, but Maria is more attracted to Broto, a wealthy merchant. However, Broto himself is more interested in Sita, a dance instructor. Additionally, two teenagers, Ani and Ina, are placed under Bu Siti's care because their parents are preoccupied with politics. All these problems are resolved in a comedic manner.
Three sisters—Nunung, Nana and Nenny—are being raised by their grandmother in Jakarta after their mother's death. Though the sisters' father Sukandar lives with them, he is too involved in his own work to pay them heed.
Armansyah Perkasa Alam, a rising movie and radio star, receives a lot of fan letters that he uses to indulge his playboy behaviour. His friend, Trisno, keeps cautioning him to no avail. Armansyah begins to juggle too many appointments with too many girls. Finally, all eight girls that he is trying to seduce realise his trick and they all leave Armansyah.
