A lay preacher arrives at a British settlement in New Zealand in 1830s. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test. The film also follows a young Māori woman torn between two cultures in a rapidly changing society and provides a picture of the Maori tribes at the time, their conflicts with the British as well as their own civil war.

The film stars Guy Pearce (Nominated for Best Actor at AACTA awards) , Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne (winner of Jury prize for Best Actress at eEncontres Internationales du Cinema des Antipodes) and Te Kohe Tuhaka.