In the kingdom of Pura Cendana, the adopted prince is commanded by the king to choose a wife, but he refuses to marry any woman in the realm, arguing they lack true honor and are not real “females.” Enraged, the king decrees that he must seek out such a woman, if she even exists, and vows that the prince will not return to the palace or shave his beard until the quest is fulfilled. To test a woman’s worth, the prince devises a simple yet telling challenge: he carries a bag containing rice, salt, chili, onions, garlic, and spices, and he will marry the woman who can cook using those exact contents. He travels across the country, seeking shelter wherever he can, and presents the bag to every household he visits. In each home with a young woman, the challenge is deemed either impossible or absurd, and the bag is left untouched. As the search wears on, the prince’s beard grows thick, a visible symbol of his stubborn vow and the passage of time.
At last, he meets the remarkable and quick-witted Puspawangi, and visits her family. When he offers the bag and repeats his request, Puspawangi’s mother dismisses it as folly, but Puspawangi sees it as a real test of wit. She carefully separates the ingredients, cooks them into a meal, and serves the dishes to her family that very night. Her father is astonished when she reveals that the dishes came from the bag’s contents, and the seeds of admiration are sown. Impressed, the prince shaves his beard the next morning to reveal his handsome face, explains the quest to Puspawangi’s father, and asks for her hand in marriage. The news fills his parents with joy, and the couple returns to the palace amid celebratory warmth.
However, the king and his ministers—entranced by Puspawangi’s beauty—conspire to see Tun Nila removed from the scene. The king fakes illness and declares that only the mystical bearded civet can cure him, hinting that the civet fears women. With this ruse, the ministers send the prince away to hunt for the civet, leaving Puspawangi behind. While Tun Nila is gone, the king and each minister visits Puspawangi, hoping to win her heart. She plays along, pretending to reciprocate while cleverly stalling, and she sets them a series of ridiculous tasks to prove their love, instructing them to hide whenever the next suitor arrives. When the king is the last to visit, a haunting disturbance appears at the window—a ghostly presence that sends the royal cohort fleeing in fright, while one minister hides in a chest. The “ghost” is revealed to be Tun Nila in disguise, who has been listening to the scheme from beneath the house. He praises Puspawangi for her loyalty and keen wit in fending off the men’s advances.
The following day, Tun Nila and Puspawangi present the chest to the king, insisting it contains the bearded civet. When the chest is opened, the hidden minister is exposed, and the guilty schemers realize their error. With the truth brought to light and order restored, the couple’s bond is firmly recognized, and the kingdom settles back into harmony.
