The film is about a Dutch official named Van Oudyck, who lives in the time of when the Dutch Colonial Empire ruled the Dutch East Indies. The story takes place before the fall of the Empire, and chronicles Van Oudyck's attempts at imposing the Western way of life on the Javanese people.
Verhoeven commented about the story, saying it is about "rebellion against colonial rule, the emergence of fundamentalist Islam, the behavior between people, adultery and psychic powers."
The film was written by Verhoeven and Gerard Soeteman. It is said that the film will be shot in Dutch, not English.