1) A boy named Malin Kundang lived with his mother in a village near the coast in West Sumatra after his father passed away.
2) As a boy, Malin Kundang helped a merchant by fighting off pirates, and in return the merchant offered for him to work on his ship, which Malin accepted, leaving his mother alone.
3) Years later, Malin Kundang had become wealthy with a large ship and crew, but when he returned to his home village and his mother recognized him, he denied knowing her, causing her to curse him to turn into stone.