ONE GLOOMY morning, Nadira Suwandi fi nds her mother has committed suicide. The death of Nadiras mother Kemala Yunus, an expressive, free-thinking woman who always struggled to fi nd her own self, comes as a shock.

Kemalas death infl uences Nadiras life as a girl (Sky Painting), a journalist (Prayer Beads), a lover (Longest Kiss) and a wife, and brings Nadira into an exploration of a new world, an untouched world of sexuality (Kirana). In the last two stories within this collection, Before the Sun Rises and From New York to Legian, we delve deeper into Nadiras inner world.