Soeraja is dying and calls for Jeng Yah, a woman who is not his wife, shocking his three sons — Lebas, Karim and Tegar — heirs to Kretek Djagad Raja, Indonesia’s largest clove cigarette empire. Their mother is consumed by jealousy as the brothers embark on a quest to find Jeng Yah and uncover the truth about their family business and its secrets.

Cigarette Girl is more than a love story and the soul-searching journey of three brothers. Set on the island of Java, the story follows the evolution of a family’s kretek, or clove cigarette, business, introducing readers to three generations of Indonesia’s history through cloves and unrequited love.