A former convict and his daughter go on a pilgrimage from Paramaribo to the leper colony where the Dutch missionary Peerke Donders used to work. But just as the boat is to lift anchor, the daughter disembarks. Her father stays, and he is offered a drink of water by a missionary on the boat.

They share their stories, about their former selves and their respective searches for sincerity. The missionary tries to keep his orphanage open (although the political powers decided otherwise). As the boat sets sail, mainland Surinam becomes the backdrop for their reminiscences. Meanwhile, in a hotel room, the daughter is trying to determine her own identity and come to grips with her past and her father.