Set in the 1980s in Whangara, a Māori community on the eastern edge of New Zealand's North Island, the novel is a retelling of the myth of Paikea.
Kahu is the eldest great-grandchild of chieftain Koro Apirana; had she been a boy, she would have been the natural future leader of the tribe but since she is a girl,she is detested by her grandfather Koro Apirana who is a male chauvinist and blinded by culture. She is attuned to the traditional Māori way of life, and may have inherited the ability to speak to whales.[5] The novel is narrated by Kahu's uncle, Rawiri, who travels to Australia and Papua New Guinea where the narrative focuses on the shaping of his own understanding of his Māori identity.[6]