Four childhood friends live at a ghetto in Jakarta whose bonds are tested as they grow into adulthood. They share a ritual, "chasing the sun" (Mengejar Matahari), where they race through the ghetto, symbolically chasing their future.

During their childhood, Ardi, Nino, Apin, and Damar, are the best of friends. The film is narrated from Ardi's point of view. The friends become witnesses for the trial of Obet, a local thug, who is eventually sent to prison. The case would change the course of their future. When they are in high school, Rara, an orphan girl, enters their lives and captivates both Ardi and Damar. Her presence strains their long friendship. One day, the clash between Damar and Ardi leads to a physical confrontation. Things get more complicated when Obet is released from prison and returns for revenge. Obet battles them and this leads to the death of Apin. Damar, the most hotheaded of the four then kills Obet. For this, he goes to prison.—filmindonesia.or.id

Mengejar Matahari is a coming of age tale of four childhood friends in a Jakarta ghetto whose bonds are tested as they grow into adulthood. They share a nightly ritual, "chasing the sun" (mengejar matahari), where they race through the ghetto, symbolically chasing their future. Their friendship becomes strained when Ardi and Damar fall in love with Apin's niece, Rara, just as a neighborhood bully is released from jail and seeks revenge. The film is both about the strength of friendship and a metaphor for the durability of the Indonesian archipelago.—Nick Grace