It is 1839 and Huw Pengellin is desperate to find a better life for his family than the one he ekes out in Wales. His wife, Martha, is fully aware just how foolhardy Huw's schemes can be, but she is keen to escape the foundry slums, as well as Huw's brother Gareth, with his hot eyes and roving hands. Might Colonel Wakefield's plans to take settlers to the distant shores of New Zealand offer a solution?

On the other side of the world, watching the new arrivals, is Hineroa, who is also desperate to find a better life. Will she be a slave for ever, will she ever be reunited with her people, and will the ships that keep sailing into the bay bring further trouble?

Change is underway, not just for these characters but also for the crescent of beach, thick bush and steep hills that are about to become the bustling settlement of Wellington.