Back in the early 1980s, the state of Indonesia launched "Operation Petrus"—a covert operation where the apparatus conducted extra-judicial killing in the name of public safety. In reality, it functioned more as a method of state-sanctioned terror, and tattooed men, usually perceived as "freelance-thugs", were targeted indiscriminately. During one such incident, a woman named Marni tries her best to protect her husband, who has done no wrong.