Merry Riana: Mimpi Sejuta Dolar

The May 1998 riots mostly targets Chinese Indonesians. Merry Riana's family flees to the airport, where her father sells clothes and other valuable items left in order to buy Merry a boarding pass to Singapore, asking her to study and live happily there.

At Singapore, Merry wanders around confused, thinking that her dream to be successful has failed, until she meets Irene, her high school friend, who shelters Merry illegally at her dorm room. She was later caught by the guard, and after a discussion, Merry decides to study at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in order to legally stay at Irene's room. However, she must pay the expensive student loan. Irene's friend Alva promises to be her loan guarantor, but with the condition that she get a job. Even though Irene defends her, Merry insists and frustratingly searches for a job. She receives one, as a brochure sharer; though Alva has signed the agreement anyway. Because she doesn't have a student pass, the store was later taken down; police didn't know Merry due to proof being eyewitness accounts alone, and the manager told her to disguise herself.

Irene reveals to her that she has a crush on Alva. Irene planned a date with him; instead Alva helps Merry on finding a new job, and they fall in love with each other. Irene goes home annoyed. She is hired at Success Forever, a company which promises monetary miracles. Merry brings Alva there, and it turns out the company was a scam. Merry nearly gives up, but Alva tells her that failures are essential for success. She is investigated by police for being previously involved in Success Forever; she was proven not guilty and the company was further investigated. Moving to the Singapore Flyer, Merry was hired there as janitor. Alva shares to her a fictional novel s.h.m.i.l.y (/ʃmiːliː/), an acronym of "see how much I love you." Merry refuses to accept his proposal. At the dorm, Irene kicks Merry out for being with Alva at the Flyer, assumingly romantic. Merry rushes to Alva's address to bring him and clarify things to Irene, but a naysayer guard claims Alva does not live in the address; at the time he was at a factory he got hired in. Back at the dorm, she left it for Merry on anguish. Merry moves on from Irene, motivated by Alva, who showed her an online trading platform she can profit from.

Moments after the fireworks declared a new year at Marina Bay, Alva goes to Clarke Quay, where he plans to propose Merry to marry him. Whilst preparing, Merry tells Alva of airline she can trade with. Hearing her over-enthusiasm, he disagrees, saying that all she cares about is money. Merry agrees, that she is done being poor, assuming Alva has never been poor. Triggered, Alva leaves, and hands the wedding ring to an old street artist. Days later, she reads a CNN article of the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Her mother surprised her at the dorm. Merry rants on giving up, but her mother says that failures must be solved. Encouraged to "fight till the end and never give up," she later becomes an accountant; one of her customers, Mrs. Noor, helps her pay quarter of the loan.

One day, the street artist gave Alva's wedding ring; she revealed that Alva previously wanted to give the ring to a special person, referred to as "Shmily Merry." She runs to the Flyer and told Alva that she loves him, promising to wash away her greed; Alva accepts. Years later, she graduated among many others, and whilst the credits roll, pictures show real Merry and real Alva, now married.

• "Sempurnalah Cinta" – Andien & Marcell
• "Sempurnalah Cinta" (solo version) – Marcell Siahaan

Special appearance

• Merry Riana: Mimpi Sejuta Dolar, www.21cineplex.com, accessed on November 23, 2014