1946: The Dutch have been driven out of Indonesia by the Japanese invasion, but they refuse to recognize the country's declaration of independence. In an attempt to regain their former colony, the government mobilizes the Royal Dutch Indian Army. When they fail to take control, an unofficial force is sent to subdue the "terrorists." Among the volunteers is Johan Knevel, who has personal reasons for he wants to find out what happened to his Indonesian nurse. But far from rediscovering the lost idyll of his youth, he is confronted by the complex realities of a country in turmoil.

Rampokan: Celebes is het slot van een monumentale roman over verlies van identiteit en tempo doeloe. Tegen wil en dank staat Johan Knevel aan de kant van de Indonesische nationalisten. Hij moet wel verraad plegen aan de Nederlandse zaak: dat is zijn enige kans om zijn baboe weer te zien en iets terug te vinden van zijn verloren Paradijs. Het is 1946, ook op Celebes branden de kampongs..