We study the Dirichlet problem for complex Monge-Ampere equations in Hermitian manifolds with general (non-pseudoconvex) boundary. Our main result extends the classical theorem of Caffarelli, Kohn, Nirenberg and Spruck in the flat case. We also consider the equation on compact manifolds without boundary, attempting to generalize Yau's theorems in the Kaehler case. As applications of the main result we study some connections between the homogeneous complex Monge-Ampere ({\em HCMA}) equation and totally real submanifolds, and a special Dirichlet problem for the HCMA equation related to Donaldson's conjecture on geodesics in the space of Kaehler metrics.