Throughout her life, Cecilia Poetry has listened to her father rave about his home country, Indonesia. After his death, Cecilia decides to move to Jakarta and explore the beautiful life that her father had envisioned for her.

When Cecilia moves in with her wealthy grandparents, they try their best to shape her into the ideal Indonesian granddaughter. She learns of her grandparents' distaste for her American lifestyle and a grudge against her beloved parents, which pushes her away from them. Entangled in frustrating family dynamics, Cecilia escapes to her rich, beautiful, and successful friends who feel way too perfect for her.

The more Cecilia immerses herself in this captivating new world, the more infatuated she becomes by the glamour and intrigue of Jakarta. As her friends' lives unfold to reveal tragic pasts and toxic secrets hidden behind plastic smiles, Cecilia finally begins to feel a real connection to her father's hometown. But as Cecilia's reality starts to catch up with her, it becomes clear that nothing in the city is as it seems.

She Smells of Turmeric is an intimate tale of estrangement and reconciliation and speaks to anyone who has felt alone in their community.